The Zadavia Chronicles Entry 1: Zadavia
by ontheair
Summary: While escaping an old enemy, Zadavia's ship is blasted through a wormhole, sending her dangerously off course. She crashes on an unfamiliar planet, is rescued by one of its inhabitants, and inadvertently changes both their destinies. Zadavia/Loonatics/OC
1. Chapter 1

THE ZADAVIA CHRONICLES by ontheair

Entry #1: "Zadavia."

SYNOPSIS: While attempting to escape an old enemy, Zadavia's ship is blasted out of control through a wormhole. She winds up on a strange planet, is rescued by one of its inhabitants, and inadvertently changes both of their destinies forever.

(Rated 'T' for language and situations still to come.)

ooooo

Chapter 1: "Scouting report (Phase 1)."

The fleet of Orion class dragon cruisers, so named because in shape that was exactly what they resembled, scouted the evening skies above planet Freleng. The ships were imposing in their size and firepower, and were of every conceivable color imaginable. In the red lead ship, a tall, muscular male sat in the command chair, his bionic left eye closely monitoring data from a small computer screen. He brushed a few strands of white and purple hair from his face and spoke into the audio communications module. "Red dragon leader to squadron, report."

"Green dragon, quadrant 7, no sign, your majesty."

"Purple dragon, quadrant 2, nothing, Optimatus."

"Yellow dragon to red leader, quadrant 5, no sign of him or his ship."

And on it went as all the other cruisers reported back to their leader. Whoever they were looking for, he was not to be seen, not this evening... or any of the other evenings they'd been searching. Optimatus made notes on his data terminal and waited for the last dragon cruiser to report in.

"Red dragon leader to blue dragon, report." Silence greeted him. He waited, and then repeated his command, with a fraction of impatience. Again, silence. If it were anyone else, Optimatus would have been concerned; however, since he knew who was piloting the blue dragon cruiser, he simply waited a few seconds more, and then yelled into his communicator. "MARSALLAS, REPORT... NOW!"

"Um... yes, your majesty," came the fumbling reply. "Quadrant 13, nothing to report, sir."

"That was all you had to say, Marsallas," Optimatus responded coldly. While Marsallas' combat skills made him indispensable, Optimatus felt that the Frelengian captain's communication skills were in serious need of a major upgrade.

"Yes sir... begging your pardon, but, are you certain the information we received was correct? I mean, we've searched the skies for a week now... "

"And turned up nothing, I know; however, Marsallas, the queen's informant is hardly ever wrong, seeing as he _is_ one of the Guardians."

"And a rabbit... "

"I am well aware of what Ace is, Marsallas. Nevertheless, since he is one of the Guardians we must take this information seriously. According to his report, the Guardians lost his trail in the Screwball nebula." He took a brief pause before continuing. "If Zadavia's foe has indeed escaped his temporal prison, no matter how unlikely, then the queen's life is in serious danger. She will be the one he comes for first, make no mistake about that. Therefore, the patrols will continue until he is recaptured and banished forever to a black hole."

"Understood, your majesty." Marsallas paused briefly. "Um, your majesty... "

"Yes, Marsallas... " Optimatus sighed, his patience with the captain running thin.

"Do you think it was wise to let her join the patrol?"

"In the first place, no, I do _not_ think it was wise, and second, I did not _let_ her join the... " Optimatus' response was interrupted by another voice on the communicator; a voice that was soft, yet serious, and also very feminine.

"White stingray to red dragon leader... "

Optimatus replied sternly, "Red dragon to white stingray, respond."

"You don't need to take that tone of voice with _me_, brother."

"And _you_ don't need to be making these patrols with _us_, sister."

"As long as the possibility exists that Deuce has escaped, I don't see how you can stop me. Just because you are older does NOT mean you have the right to boss me around! I am the queen, I am NOT a child, Optimatus!"

"Behave like one, Zadavia, and that's how you get treated. We will not have this discussion now."

"Give me one good reason why not?" Zadavia demanded, anger clearly evident in her voice.

Optimatus smirked and calmly replied, "You mean, besides the fact you're throwing a tantrum over open channels where all our dragon cruisers can hear you?" He chuckled while every dragon cruiser scanning the skies above Freleng could hear Zadavia seething over their communications systems. Optimatus waited a few more seconds, then commanded, "Marsallas, you will intercept the queen's ship and escort her back to the palace... immediately!"

Zadavia was not amused. She was the one used to being in charge of a situation, and having the tables turned on her by her brother did not bring her happiness. "This is not over, brother! I will have something to say to you when you return. Count on it!"

"Boy," Marsallas thought out loud, "no wonder she's never married... "

"_What_ was that, Marsallas?" The angry response from Zadavia let the unfortunate captain know that he had been heard, and she was not pleased.

"Um, nothing, your highness, static interference... "

Zadavia knew better. Frelengian technology ensured that static interference over the ship's communications was impossible. She exhaled in frustration. "Well, Marsallas, don't just sit there. You have your orders. Escort me back to the palace... _and then wait for me_. Zadavia out."

The captain gulped quietly. It was the way she said "... and then wait for me" that worried him as he escorted his queen home.

ooooo

The reflected light of the stars gave an elegant brilliance to the planet below, with its pink and blue-banded surface orbited by three small moons, one orbiting in a different direction between the other two. This was the planet Freleng, a technologically advanced peaceful home to a race of intelligent beings, and even braver warriors.

The planet itself was shrouded from the rest of the universe in its own unique place in the galaxy, light years away from anybody. For eons, very few outsiders knew it even existed, until attacks on the planet led its leaders to seek alliances with others in the cosmos. Some of these alliances proved fruitful, like those with Acmetropolis and Blanc, while others proved short-lived. It was an attempt by the planet's former rulers to establish diplomatic relations with the lizard-like race called the Selzerians over 20 years ago, in fact, that led to Freleng reluctantly learning the ways of war, if only for self-defense.

It was also that attempt that led to the deaths of the ruling king and queen, thrusting their yet unprepared children into the roles of leaders. Wisely, the high council sheltered the children and taught them all that they thought they would need to know. As the male was several years older than his sister, the men of the council proceeded to teach him the ways of conflict, while the teaching of his sister was left to the women of the court, who preferred to instruct her in the ways of peace as her beloved mother had done. Ironically, it was the younger sibling who became the stronger leader.

Now, her brother waited patiently in the palace library. Optimatus could hear her storming through the halls and angrily throwing the library doors open wide. He didn't turn around right away, but waited until she was behind him. "So, dear sister, have a pleasant evening?"

"Optimatus, if you weren't my brother... "

"Save your anger for someone who deserves it, Zadavia." Optimatus held his gaze steady despite the fact that it was he who had slowly become corrupted by the ideas of using the knowledge of Freleng's scientific skills and discovery of the perfection of wormhole technology for the purpose of conquest; a corruption that brought about his sister's open defiance, resulting in her having to flee the planet she loved in fear for her life. His determination had been resolute. If he could not bend her will to his, then she must die, sister or not. Unfortunately for him, his growing hatred for his sister resulted in the permanent disfigurement he sustained when he accidentally got caught in the flaming blasts from the exhaust of her escaping cruiser. Yet now, all that was in the past. And no matter how angry she was with him now, Zadavia proved willing to let it stay there.

Although Zadavia was quick to reconcile with her brother once he had seen the error of his ways, their home planet was not so quick to forgive him on their return. It was only through Zadavia's passionate insistence that Optimatus was allowed to remain free to make amends, under her supervision. In time, he managed to regain the trust of the planet and resume his rightful place ruling Freleng alongside his sister, becoming the kind of ruler she knew he could be. She did love him, although at times he did things that, while less destructive than years gone by, still managed to annoy her.

Tonight was one of those times.

"Incidentally," Optimatus continued, "you did not give me a status report."

Zadavia glared at her brother. "Why should I give you... "

"Because this patrol is under MY command, not yours! As long as Deuce is free, your life is in great danger. It would be forfeit if you two were to meet, and you know this!" Back then, Optimatus tried several times to end Zadavia's life before, in one of the universe's great ironies, the exiled queen wound up saving him from the renegade Frelengian General Deuce, in what would become known as the battle for planet Blanc, leading to their reconciliation. Since then, he'd taken the responsibility to protect his sister from the renegade's vengeance very seriously. "Now, what was the status of your unauthorized patrol?"

Zadavia continued to glare. "No sign in quadrant 6, brother."

"That was all you had to say, sister. If there is nothing else... "

"As a matter of fact, there is. I wish to place Captain Marsallas on report and expect disciplinary action."

"Oh? And what is the reason?"

"Insubordination."

"Insubordination," Optimatus muttered, and then smiled. "Oh, do you mean his remark concerning why you've never married?" He chuckled, which infuriated Zadavia even more. "We all heard it. He's an excellent pilot, and a skilled combat leader, although he has an unfortunate tendency to think out loud, doesn't he? No action will be taken. Really, dear sister, you do tend to lose your temper over the strangest things." Optimatus paused for a moment. "Although he does bring up a valid point, Zadavia. I, too, have wondered why you have not yet married. You are still young, you are not unattractive, so why have you no husband in your 30th year?"

Zadavia looked at her brother stoically. "You know the answer as well as I, brother. I am concerned with the well-being of the universe. I have no time in my life for such distractions as... "

"That's not the reason and you know it. You might get away with telling that to others, and you can certainly make them believe it, but I know better. What is the real reason, sister?"

Zadavia bowed her head sadly. "Because those that have sought my hand did so not out of love, but merely for what they thought they could gain in power by being my husband. All of them..." She shook her head as a pair of crystalline tears escaped her beautiful green eyes and slowly made their way down her cheeks.

"Deuce included," her brother noted softly.

Zadavia sighed. "Yes, Deuce included. It's sad to think about, Optimatus. Every one of those suitors... and especially everyone who has ever sought to end my life... they have all been from Freleng. Deuce, Rupes Oberon... even you... tell me, brother, have I been so bad a queen to our people that I deserve such treatment?"

Optimatus smiled and placed his hands on her shoulders to comfort her. "No, Zadavia. You have not. The biggest mistake I have ever made was in being foolish enough to try to eliminate you. But maybe you should concentrate more on the needs of our own planet and leave the well-being of the universe to others. Nobody asked you to be the galaxy's protector, dear sister. This is something you took on yourself." He looked her in the eyes. "Try being the queen of Freleng instead of the universe. Then maybe a suitable Frelengian mate will surface."

Zadavia sighed again. "The way things have been going, I may have to find that mate on another planet, dear brother."

"You know very well the Frelengian constitution forbids it. If you are to marry... "

"If I am to marry he _must_ be a Frelengian, I know what the constitution says, Optimatus. To think my own personal happiness must hinge on such an outdated technicality. As the queen I should have the right to marry anyone I please, Frelengian or not."

"Nevertheless, sister, the constitution also states that any heirs to the throne must be Frelengian by birth. If something were to happen to either of us, Zadavia, and we left no heirs, then who would be left of the Maxima line to rule?"

"Only the Princess Mellisandra, but she has no desire to be queen, brother, you know this."

Optimatus nodded in agreement. "Yes, our younger sister would much rather be 'Paula Hayes' and protect Acmetropolis as a member of the HOP Force. And since she's married to a citizen of Acmetropolis, that automatically rules her out for ascension to the throne."

Zadavia allowed herself a brief smile. "Lucky Mellisandra." She paused before throwing her brother an unexpected verbal curve ball. "By the way, brother, how are things between you and Lady Kassondra?"

Now it was Optimatus' turn to be uncomfortable. "Was there something else, Zadavia?" he asked, clearing his throat and quickly changing the subject.

"Yes, now that you mention it. My ship has been acting up lately, and I'm having trouble with the gyro stabilizer. It was not so much of a problem tonight, but any mechanical malfunctions in the future could be disastrous, especially if my path crosses with Deuce. Could you have our technicians take a look at it?"

"It will be taken care of immediately, sister," Optimatus smiled. "But now, the hour is late, there is still no sign of Deuce, and we both need some rest. Until the morning, Zadavia... "

Zadavia forgot her displeasure with her brother and hugged him warmly. "Until the morning, Optimatus. Good night." As she turned and left the library, she passed Captain Marsallas, who was still waiting for her as ordered. "Good night, Marsallas."

"Um, wasn't there something you were going to tell me, your highness?" In battle, Marsallas Marius was as brave as anyone; but somehow, dealing directly with Zadavia always made him slightly nervous. He ran a hand through his black hair, his brown eyes clouded with worry. Zadavia stopped and turned to face him.

"Yes, as a matter of fact." She looked at him seriously. A sudden sense of déjà vu coupled with nostalgia struck Zadavia as she addressed the captain. She suddenly felt as if she were scolding Duck again about his costume requests. Or something. "In the future, Captain, please try to keep your opinions to yourself. Good night." And with that, she strode to her bedchambers, leaving the blue dragon captain feeling like he'd just dodged a laser beam.

Neither Captain Marsallas nor Zadavia - or anyone else, for that matter - noticed a lone figure in a purple and white outfit hiding in one of the recesses of the hallway, an evil smile on his face. "Heh-heh-heh," he muttered, stroking his white goatee, "so Blondie's ship's acting up, eh? Well, it's gonna do more than that when _I_ get through with it... "


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2: "Sabotage (Phase 2)."

The purple-and-white clad figure moved stealthily through the Frelengian palace, following Zadavia's every move. He took great care not to be seen, which was odd, considering how much he craved attention. Zadavia stopped in the hallway to greet one of the members of the High Council, who was also heading to bed after a long day. The intruder seized the opportunity and slipped unnoticed into Zadavia's bedchambers and hid in the shadows, just as the queen made her way into the room. He held his breath while she slipped out of her skin-tight uniform, stretched, and then grabbed a pink-and-amethyst colored bathrobe and towel.

She stopped momentarily, thinking something was wrong somehow, and then dismissed the thought. After all, she was in the palace, and guards were all around to ensure her safety. And besides, she had her incredible light powers. What could be wrong?

She paused before heading into the shower to summon a glass of warm milk from the royal kitchen. Ever since this business of Deuce possibly reappearing, Zadavia had endured several sleepless nights. Of all her enemies, General Deuce was the one that she feared the most, although she would never say so publicly. Her younger sister Mellisandra, known on Acmetropolis as "Paula Hayes-Paine," had suggested that warm milk would help her sleep. "I really need to try that tonight," she thought to herself as she disrobed and stepped into the shower. As the queen thought she was alone, she left the door to her shower chamber open.

The silent intruder was temporarily mesmerized by her beauty, but only temporarily. "Wow," he thought, "this chick is hot! Too bad the boss man wants to 'off' her, but then, I ain't that great a fan of hers, either." He frowned at the memory of her rejection of his offering of a new anthem for Freleng. The sound of her chamber door sliding open forced him back into the shadows, as one of Zadavia's handmaidens dutifully left a glass of warm milk on her bedside table next to a book the queen had been reading, and then left.

After he made sure she was gone, he removed a vial from his left front pocket and poured a colorless, tasteless liquid into the drink. He was about to slip back into the darkened corner when he was stopped by another sound. It was Zadavia, singing.

He listened as her voice rose above the rush of her shower. "Man, I never knew she could sing," he thought. "That chick's got a groovy voice!" Then the shower stopped, although her singing continued. He watched as she stepped out of the shower, toweled herself off, then slipped into her bathrobe. Quickly, his mind returned to the task he'd been given and returned to his hiding place just as she emerged. Zadavia went to her wardrobe, picked a diaphanous pink nightgown, dropped her bathrobe, and leisurely slid into the sheer, almost translucent nightgown. From his vantage point, the intruder was getting quite a show.

The queen brushed her hair, and then held her hands over her blond locks. Two beams of rainbows emerged from her hands. She chuckled to herself, "Who needs a hair dryer when I can do this?" Running her hands through her now dried hair, Zadavia strode slowly across the inlaid marble-and-ivory floor, climbed into her bed, and reached for the milk.

The Frelengian queen then picked up the book she'd been reading, a gift from her younger sister. Zadavia always appreciated classic literature, and the complete set of Sherlock Holmes books that Mellisandra had sent her after their battle the previous year on Acmetropolis against General Qurrg and the Selzerians really piqued her interest. It was the deductive reasoning of the character that the queen found most fascinating.

The intruder grew restless as he watched Zadavia drink, then settle in with her book. "Why can't she just head to dreamland already," he thought. But soon, his patience was rewarded, as Zadavia's eyelids grew heavy, and she slipped into a deep sleep, dropping her book on the floor. He waited for a few more seconds, and then quietly went to her. Satisfied that the drugged milk had done its job, he took a flower with large white petals from a pouch he'd been carrying, and placed it into the sleeping queen's right hand. He watched as the flower began to do its work, absorbing Zadavia's powers, multi-colored streams rapidly leaving her body, the white petals slowly gaining all the colors of the rainbow. Her body shook violently as though she were experiencing a seizure, wrapped in a transparent symbiotic cocoon. Had she been conscious, the pain of her powers being forcibly drawn out would have caused her to scream in terrible agony, thus bringing help; so the intruder felt it was a good thing for him that Zadavia was in her drug-induced sleep.

It was only through sheer chance that the intruder had come upon this unusual flower. It worked in two stages: it could not only absorb light, like the black dwarf daisy that he, through his mannequin Bootes Belinda, had tricked Zadavia into touching in her underwater grotto the last time they encountered each other on Acmetropolis, making her think it was the Lumerius flower of Freleng; but also her powers, bypassing the need for a separate receptacle... like the Cosmic Guitar.

It was a brilliant plan his boss had come up with... or rather, that _he_ had come up with, he thought; a plan he'd formulated after the last time he'd stolen Zadavia's powers. His boss wasn't the only one who had a grudge against her, or could think of unusual ways to destroy her. Soon, when phase 3 of his plan was launched and Zadavia awoke, she would simply attribute her tiredness to the effectiveness of the warm milk. And since she had no need to use her powers at this time of night... well, when she _would_ need them, she'd be in for quite a surprise. He watched as the cocoon surrounding her disappeared, her body went limp, and a small natural red light lit up in the center of the flower. It was done.

Zadavia was now powerless, and she wouldn't even know it... until it was too late.

Just like _he_ had planned.

The intruder chuckled quietly, "So much for phase 2." He removed the flower from Zadavia's hand and placed it carefully into its pouch, taking care not to touch any of the green leaves underneath the petals, then silently crept out of her bedchambers and, making sure no one was in sight, headed unnoticed towards the docking bay where her pearl white cruiser was waiting to be overhauled. Stopping to hide in another hallway recess, he activated a wrist communicator. "Keyboard Man to the General Dude... " he whispered.

"How many times do I have to tell you to call me General Deuce?" came the annoyed reply.

Rupes Oberon chuckled. "Whatever. Just checkin' in to tell you phase 2 is complete. She's out cold and completely powerless."

"Well done, Rupes. You will be rewarded for this," came the reply.

"Like you 'rewarded' me on planet Blanc?" he asked skeptically. "No way. You're gonna have to do better than that, dude... a _lot_ better."

"I give the orders, Oberon, you just need to follow them," the voice of Deuce replied.

"Okay, General Dude, whatever. Now if you'll excuse me, I gotta go sabotage Queenie's ship. Don't want her to have an advantage when you two finally meet up," the musician chuckled. "Keyboard Man, out."

Rupes Oberon soon found himself in the docking bay, where one of Zadavia's technicians was going over a checklist of problems the queen had reported with her cruiser. There was no one else around, Oberon noticed. The technician was roughly Rupes' height and build, and with a protective helmet on, no one would notice the difference. This was going to be easier than even he thought. Frelengian security measures really sucked, he thought, but he wasn't about to complain. He stood behind the technician, reading over his shoulder. "Hmmm... gyro stabilizer's gone wonky, huh? Think it can be fixed?"

The technician shrugged. "If not, I'll have to replace it... " Then he stopped and turned around. "Who the devil are... ?" He didn't get to finish his question as Rupes zapped him with a laser pistol. He dragged the unconscious tech into the shadows and prepared for phase 3...

ooooo

The sentries nodded in polite acknowledgment as a young woman in her mid 20s strode through the palace halls, wearing the blue and red cloak of the planet's chief healer, the hood only partially covering her auburn shoulder-length hair. She smiled and returned the sentries' greetings, then made her way into the main command center, the heart of Freleng's defense system. She had one more appointment to keep before going home for the night.

She silently approached the tall figure observing multiple video displays showing various quadrants surrounding the planet. "Optimatus... "

"Greetings, Lady Kassondra," he replied, still staring at the various view screens.

The gentle young woman observed the various locales of Freleng as well, guessing what Optimatus was looking for. "Still no sign of Deuce. That's good, isn't it?"

"I take it you do not remember him, Kassondra."

"I remember him only too well, Optimatus. Such cruelty in one so young. Why did you _ever_ make him a general?"

"Because he showed talent, and what I thought was a real understanding of military procedure." Optimatus sighed briefly. "I did not take into account his ambitions... or his treachery."

"Talent without discipline is a sure recipe for disaster," the healer observed. Then her attention was drawn towards another view screen. "What's happening there, Optimatus?"

"That is one of our technicians. Zadavia has reported mechanical problems with her ship, so I gave the order for repairs to begin immediately."

"I see. Could you, her own brother, not talk her out of going on these patrols with you?"

"Kassondra, you and I have known her for a long time. We both know how headstrong and stubborn she can be. When she is that way, you cannot talk her out of anything."

The healer exhaled a brief sigh. "This is true. Where is she now?"

Optimatus punched up the surveillance camera in the queen's bedchamber. "As you can see, sleeping soundly," he said before shutting off the video link to his sister's room.

"I thought Zadavia would not allow surveillance video in her bedroom."

"She doesn't know it's there. I am taking no chances as far as her safety is concerned. Even with Zadavia's powers, Deuce remains our deadliest foe. I learned this for myself on planet Blanc. No, our powers are not enough to protect us where he is concerned, and so I will take whatever means I deem necessary to save her from Deuce, whether she wants them or not."

"Quite a change from a few years ago when you sought to kill her yourself, Optimatus, wouldn't you say?"

"Lady Kassondra, I have freely admitted that _that _was a mistake, for which I paid dearly." His features turned cold as he looked at the Lady's hazel eyes. "I do not enjoy having these prosthetics, this bionic eye and headgear... "

"I know, Optimatus, but it was the only way I could save you. And how did you reward me? You turned on me, made me a virtual prisoner in this palace. If Freleng had no need for my talents as a healer, you would have ordered my destruction, merely because Zadavia was my friend. You had already started to become distant, but that was the point when I knew our romance had ended."

"Another mistake for which I have paid dearly," Optimatus replied quietly. "I had hoped... "

"As had I, Optimatus," Kassondra noted sadly, "as had I." She paused momentarily. "Well, I must be on my way home. The hour is late."

"Yes," the king of Freleng said. "Give my best to your good parents, and have a good night, Kassondra." With that, he softly took her left hand in his for a moment. It was only for a moment, but it was enough for Kassondra.

"No, Optimatus. The time is not yet right. You must learn patience. If there is a chance that what we once had can be restored, it will come in its own time. Let's not rush this." With that, she smiled softly and turned to go.

"My sister did well to choose you as a friend," Optimatus observed.

Lady Kassondra looked over her shoulder and flashed an impish smile as she left. "Tell me something I _don't _know. Good night, Optimatus."

"Good night, Kassie," he whispered. Then he looked at his timepiece, noted the lateness of the hour, and went off to his bedchambers for the night.

ooooo

Zadavia's personal Stingray cruiser was a smaller version of the white ship she had fled Freleng in several years ago at the time of her brother's overthrow of the High Council. It carried defense mechanisms similar to those in the larger ship, plus the latest Frelengian communication systems, a vastly improved wormhole generator, and in case of emergencies, a negative energy beam capable of destroying an enemy's ship with uncanny precision. A small kitchenette, bedroom and bathroom with shower were located in the rear, and any problems with the ship could be fixed in a matter of moments by simply replacing key motherboards located within the consoles. Leave it to the Frelengians to make something so efficient in such a compact design.

All of this was lost, however, on the figure in the technician's uniform as he made his way to the cruiser, clipboard and toolbox in hand. He stopped for just a moment as Captain Marsallas stepped out of an elevator, then stood at attention and saluted. Marsallas nodded in reply to the helmeted technician, then headed to his own dragon cruiser.

"That was almost too close," Rupes thought to himself. Apparently, all these weeks of hiding and observing all sorts of protocols within the supposedly secure structures of Freleng were paying off, as he went to work sabotaging Zadavia's ship, loosening motherboards ever so slightly, so that they would still be functional unless something happened to the ship to dislodge them, such as a collision with a meteor, asteroid... or train.

When that was done, he opened the panel next to the direct communications link to Freleng and did some creative rewiring. Before he left, Rupes opened a small compartment on the main dashboard, which contained six spare Frelengian power chips. They were based on a universal code, and could be used to power anything, from a simple child's toy to something technically advanced like a spaceship or even a wormhole generator. Without the chip, the ship would never fly, so he left just the one in its recessed place on the dashboard and pocketed the rest.

Then, almost as an afterthought, he took out a small device, pointed it at the power chip, and pressed a green button. When the device beeped, he then pressed a red button on the device and scanned the ship. There was a series of beeps as the device was pointed at her quarters. He entered and scanned her bedroom until the beeps pointed him to a small nightstand. Opening the drawer, he discovered a second hidden cache of power chips, which he promptly pocketed.

Finally satisfied that his work was done, Rupes disembarked from Zadavia's cruiser and made his way to a hidden recess near the docking bay entrance. Checking a wrist timer, he saw that enough time had passed that the sleeping drug Zadavia had ingested was starting to wear off. "Time to get Blondie out of bed," he chuckled, and pressed a large blue button on a remote control device...

ooooo

Zadavia's drug-induced sleep was interrupted by the sound of the alarm on her private communication screen. "Ace to Zadavia... Ace to Zadavia... this is urgent!"

The queen groggily shook her head and yawned, trying to rid herself of a sudden headache. "I must remember to try this with skim milk next time," she muttered, then slowly made her way to the communicator. "Zadavia here, Ace... "

The face of the Loonatics' leader appeared. "Zadavia, we just got confirmation of Deuce's whereabouts. His train's been spotted halfway between Acmetropolis and Freleng, and he appears to be headin' in your direction. I think we can take him out if your brother can spare a few of those dragon cruisers... "

Suddenly Zadavia was wide awake. "No, Ace, this one is mine. Deuce has much to answer for, and I want to be the one to make sure he does, but stand by to assist just in case."

"Uh, ain't ya gonna tell your brother?"

"No, Ace, our dragon cruisers just got back from patrol and our Captains need rest. I will handle this myself. Zadavia out." With that, she shut her communicator down, doffed her nightgown and dressed in her skintight uniform. "This is certainly going to be a night to remember," she said to herself, as she donned her traveling cloak and made her way to the docking bay. She passed a helmeted technician but gave him no thought as she entered her cruiser. Pressing the launch button, she powered up the ship and it took off through the Frelengian night sky.

The helmeted technician, in reality Rupes Oberon, chuckled to himself. Returning to his hiding place, he activated his wrist communicator. "Keyboard Man to General Dude, Queenie has left the building, heh-heh-heh!"

"Excellent, Rupes. Now, leave before you're detected. We'll meet at the rendezvous point for your reward... _after_ I destroy Zadavia. Deuce out."

Rupes smiled wickedly as the communication was terminated. "'Reward,' huh? Well, General Dude, we'll _see_ who gets rewarded, 'cause _I'm_ about to rewrite the music score." So saying, he chuckled again as he made his way to the evidence room, passing Captain Marsallas in the hall.

"Hmmm, wonder where he thinks _he's_ going," Marsallas thought out loud. That was when the Captain heard a strange thumping coming from a nearby storage locker...


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3: "Sabotage (Phase 3)."

Cautiously, Captain Marsallas opened the storage locker and was surprised to see a bound and gagged technician clad only in his underwear fall out. The captain activated a silent sentry alarm, and then his wrist communicator. "Captain Marsallas calling Lady Kassondra, emergency, respond."

The gentle voice of the healer replied, "Kassondra here, what is it, Marsallas?"

"Have you left the palace yet?"

"No, what's happened?"

"I have a patient for the healing room... " Quickly but methodically the Captain's training took over as he gave the healer the pertinent details, while a detachment of five Frelengian guards arrived on the scene.

"Very well, Captain, I'll be waiting for him. You'd better inform Optimatus. Kassondra out."

"Acknowledged. Marsallas out." He then turned to the guards. "You two, escort him to the healing room. You other three, follow me."

"Where are we going, Captain?" one of them asked.

The Captain pointed to a surveillance screen as they saw a man in a technician's uniform making his way into the evidence room, heading for what appeared to be a guitar...

In the evidence room, Rupes Oberon cautiously made his way to the Cosmic Guitar, which Tech E. Coyote had constructed in exchange for Zadavia's freedom when Rupes had kidnapped her two years earlier. The moody musician chuckled as he took the 64-string instrument in his hands. It was this very instrument that he had used to drain Zadavia's powers, and that she herself had used to restore them after Deuce had sent her into the cold vacuum of space.

"All I gotta do is drain Queenie's powers from the flower back into the guitar, and then do the same with big bad brother. Then I'll have their powers and Deuce will answer to me, heh-heh-heh... "

"Sounds like a good plan," said a casual voice behind him, "but you overlooked one detail."

"Impossible!" Oberon said. "What'd I overlook?" He turned around only to be met by the right fist of Marsallas. The musician fell to the floor as the Captain caught the guitar in mid-fall.

"If you don't know, I'm not going to tell you," Marsallas responded as three guards surrounded Rupes, laser pistols pointed directly at him. The Captain reactivated his wrist communicator. "Marsallas to Optimatus, repeat, Marsallas to... "

"I hear you, Marsallas, what is it?" The Frelengian king was obviously irritated by this late-night call.

"I have a prisoner for you, your majesty. He was caught in the evidence room, apparently trying to make off with what appears to be... a 64-string guitar."

There was silence, then the voice of Optimatus growled menacingly. "Well done, Captain. I will meet you in the interrogation room. Bring your prisoner to me... "

ooooo

The sleek pearl white stingray cruiser slowed down as Zadavia arrived at her destination, exactly 300 parsecs between the two galaxies of Freleng and Acmetropolis. Placing her ship in a parking orbit, she then spoke to her onboard computer. "Computer, scan the area, and stand by to deploy defense mechanisms."

The computer did as it was told, as the displays indicated to the Frelengian queen that her commands were being carried out, or so it appeared. Zadavia had no way of knowing, however, that due to Rupes' sabotage, none of her ships' defenses were actually being activated.

Zadavia then opened her video communication link to Planet Blanc, a closed proximity channel that could not be intercepted. "Zadavia to Ace, repeat, Zadavia to Ace, please respond."

There was a brief moment of silence until Ace Bunny's visage appeared in a projection before her. "Eh, what's up, boss lady? Long time, no see."

"Ace, I've arrived at the midway point between Freleng and Acmetropolis, but I see no indication that Deuce is here."

A puzzled look crossed the Guardian's face. "Wait a minute, Zadavia, run that by me again. What's this about Deuce?"

"This is no time for games, Ace. Actually, I expect that from Duck, not you. Your reports the last few days about Deuce's escape have...what do you mean, 'long time, no see'? What about the report you sent me less than fifteen minutes ago?"

The puzzled look on Ace's face was now replaced by one of concern as he addressed the Frelengian. "Uh, Zadavia, I didn't _send_ you any report tonight...or any _other_ night." By this time, the other Loonatics had gathered in the communications center in the Guardian's headquarters.

Now Zadavia looked worried. "You didn't? Then...Ace, are you thinking what I'm thinking?"

"Yeah, it sounds like Deuce has baited a trap and he's using you as the cheese! Get outta there, Zadavia, now!"

"Getting out, Ace. I..." Before Zadavia could finish the sentence, a wormhole suddenly opened up and a speeding train struck Zadavia's ship, sending it spinning wildly through space. The train disappeared through a second wormhole just as quickly.

"Zadavia!" Lexi screamed. The Loonatics watched in horror as their friend was sent careening in all directions within her ship as it spun out of control before finally coming to rest. They held their breath as they saw Zadavia struggle to get back on her feet.

Ace wasted no time barking out orders. "Tech, get a visual of the area! Duck, Rev, get the Loonacruiser ready to go! Loonatics, get ready to help the boss lady!"

"Ohhh...what...what happened, Ace?" Zadavia was breathing heavily, surprise and panic crossing her features. She held her left hand to her forehead and was shocked to feel it bleeding. Before Ace could answer, the train reappeared through another wormhole, violently ramming the queen's ship again before disappearing. The Loonatics gasped as once more Zadavia's ship was sent spinning wildly.

Inside the ship Zadavia wasn't faring much better, as she bounced around like a ball in a pinball machine, practically making impact with every area. The queen winced as her face made violent contact with her command chair, and then she fell to the floor. Slowly the ship came to a stop and righted itself.

Lexi was becoming hysterical. "Ace, why isn't she using her powers?"

"Good question, Lex," Ace replied. "Zadavia, can you hear me?" He was practically yelling now.

The Frelengian slowly arose, and stumbled in her attempt to get into her command chair. "I...I hear you, Ace... my defenses, they aren't working...what is happening?"

"Your powers, Zadavia, use your powers!" Ace commanded.

"Of course, my powers..." Zadavia replied. The shock of the sudden attacks and the blow to her head had muddled her thoughts. Then, shock turned to terror as nothing but sparks flew from her hands. "My powers!" she gasped. "They're _gone_! But _how_?"

"I got a bad feeling about this, Chief," Tech muttered as he continued his visual scan of the area. Suddenly, the coyote yelled, "Look out, Zadavia!" But his warning came too late as yet another wormhole quickly opened, and the speeding train smashed into Zadavia's pearl white cruiser once more before disappearing, then reappearing and repeating the attack, over and over. It was a small miracle that the queen's ship, for all the abuse it was taking, was still in one piece.

The same, unfortunately, could not be said for Zadavia. The repeated impacts were taking their toll on her physically, as her bloody and bruised body began to bear witness. Each new collision was causing more injuries, and she was helpless to stop them.

"I can't look, Ace," Lexi sobbed, clutching her leader for support.

"Neither can I," he replied. He yelled into his wrist communicator. "Duck! Rev! What's the holdup?"

"You're not gonna like this, Ace," Duck replied seriously. "The wormhole portal is closed for repairs."

"What?" their leader asked incredulously.

"That's-what-he-said-Ace-there's-a-big-sign-here-that-says-'Closed-for-semi-monthly-maintenance-by-order-of-the-Royal-Tweetums'-oh-man-this-isn't-good-what-do-we-do-now-Ace-poor-Zadavia's-gonna-get-killed-out-there-unless-we-do-something-this-is-bad-this-is-very-very-very... " Rev responded in hyperspeak before Duck quietly clamped his beak shut.

"Ace? What can we do?" Lexi cried.

"Zadavia, can you still hear me?" Ace shouted. "Zadavia! Respond!" The Frelengian queen lay still for several moments, then slowly, painfully crawled to her command chair, finally making it into the seat.

"Ace... " she gasped, "what has happened? Loonatics...please...help me..."

"Can you contact Freleng?" Tech asked hurriedly.

"I...I think so..." she gasped again, and reached for her direct communication link to the palace. She touched the yellow button, and received powerful electric jolts that sent her body into spasmodic jerks. Her screams echoed through the Loonatics' headquarters. Finally the screaming stopped, but only because Zadavia had somehow let go of the button and was now slumped forward in her chair. Her breathing was now ragged, and when she finally sat up, she showed a look of absolute disbelief.

"Zadavia!" Ace yelled. "Use your wormhole generator!"

The Frelengian looked around her ship, her face a mixture of pain, confusion, and fear. "Loonatics," she gasped, "where _are_ you? Why have you stopped transmitting?"

Ace stared at the video. "Why have we _what_?" An ashen look of horror appeared on the usually confident Guardian leader's face. "Zadavia, can't you hear me? Zadavia!" He turned to the genius coyote. "Tech, what's wrong?"

Tech was furiously trying to re-establish communication with the stricken queen's ship. "We've lost contact, Chief. We can see and hear her, but she can't see or hear us!"

Slam exchanged worried looks with Lexi. "Oh-oh," the purple-clad Tasmanian Devil muttered. At that precise moment another rogue wormhole opened, and the speeding train reappeared, violently crashing once more into Zadavia's ship. All the Loonatics could do was cringe as they saw more damage inflicted on their friend.

Zadavia was thrown from her command chair by the impact, and her face met the ship's dashboard with such force that her head snapped back. She cried out and slumped to the floor. For a moment, the Guardians feared the worst. Then, when the ship had righted itself once more, the Frelengian slowly sat up, blood flowing freely down her face. "Loonatics," she cried, "help me... please help me... "

"Your Loonatics won't be able to help you anymore, Zadavia," a contemptuous voice echoed through her ship and the Loonatics' headquarters, as a familiar face from Zadavia's past suddenly appeared in a projection in front of her; a young man with unruly red hair, green eyes, and a venomous smile mixed with hate. Someone that the queen and Loonatics knew only too well.

"Deuce," she gasped.

"I see you haven't forgotten me, Zadavia. And isn't it amazing what a little sabotage can do to a usually reliable ship," the ex-general chuckled menacingly.

"Sabotage," she replied weakly. "So you did this... "

"For once, you give me too much credit, Zadavia. No, an agent of mine did this, and took your powers while you slept. And this is only the beginning...of the end. It's payback time, your highness."

"Wh...what are you talking about, Deuce?"

"You know very well what I'm talking about. You ignored me as a suitor, you rejected my request to have Freleng put under my command, and you humiliated me by stripping me of my rank in front of everybody. You're not worthy to be queen, Zadavia, and you are not worthy to live. After I return to Freleng, I shall take your brother's powers the same way yours were taken. And then, I will destroy that miserable planet...just before I destroy Acmetropolis."

Zadavia was fighting the pain she felt as she struggled to speak. "Ac…Acmetropolis...why?"

"Because of your damnable heroes, that's why. I intend to destroy them all, especially Ace. Then, I will have what should have rightfully been mine."

Zadavia tried to comprehend what the renegade general was saying, when it suddenly dawned on her. "The... the..." she panted heavily, the pain interfering with her thoughts.

"That's right. The Guardian Strike Sword," Deuce smiled, but it was an evil smile. "With all of you out of the picture, and with your powers and the Strike Sword, no one will be able to stand in my way. I shall be more than invincible. I shall be a GOD!"

Zadavia frowned at the projection. "Blasphemy does not suit you, Deuce."

"Neither does breathing," Ace muttered, as if Deuce could hear him.

"You won't be able to stop me, Zadavia. I should have killed you on your brother's ship when I had the chance. Foolishly, I let you live. It's a mistake I do not intend to repeat." He paused briefly. "Tell me, your highness, how's your vision?"

Zadavia appeared confused by his question. "What? Why?"

"Because I want you to take your last look at the stars," Deuce growled. "The time for talk is over! Your death is finally at hand, Zadavia - DIE!"

With great effort, Zadavia struggled to her feet, as she saw Deuce's train back up for what was surely the final death blow. She had to escape, but how? That was when she looked down to her right. 'Of course,' she thought, 'the wormhole generator! Why didn't I think of this before?'

Quickly she set coordinates for Freleng. Time was literally of the essence now. With her communications out, there was no way to warn her home of its impending doom. "I must escape," she whispered, "must...warn Freleng..." She then pushed a green oval-shaped button that activated the wormhole. "This is not over, Deuce," she managed to say sternly as the wormhole opened up.

She looked up to see Deuce's train speeding in her direction one more time. She pushed the green button again, and her ship began its journey through the fabric of the space-time continuum.

"Oh, yes it is," Deuce's voice threatened, as from out of nowhere two powerful laser beams blasted her ship just as it entered the wormhole, throwing it off course.

"NOOOOOOOO!" Zadavia screamed, as the blasts rocked her ship. Sparks began flying from the controls, and flames started to engulf the interior; the last stage of Rupes' devious sabotage. Once more she was thrown violently inside her ship, resulting in more pain and injuries.

"Tech," Ace ordered, "get on the horn to Freleng!"

The coyote looked forlornly at his boss. "Already tried, Chief. Transmission to Freleng is jammed throughout the universe!"

"Oh, no..." Lexi cried softly, as all they could do was witness what was sure to be Zadavia's destruction.

Through the sparks and flames, Zadavia looked plaintively at the video link to planet Blanc, tears mixing with blood, her stoic reserve gone completely. "Loonatics..." she sobbed, "_where are you?_" Then the video link captured what could only be described as an explosion of rainbows mixed with a horrific scream...and then the transmission ended, save for Deuce's laughter echoing throughout the Loonatics' command post...just before the screen went dead.

Ace turned to look at Tech, who had been monitoring the conflict on a radar screen. The blip on the radar that had been Zadavia's ship had erupted into a brilliant flash, then disappeared. Deuce's train was nowhere to be seen, having vanished through another wormhole. The coyote looked sadly at his teammates, shaking his head, tears slowly running down his muzzle. He didn't say a word. He didn't have to.

The Loonatics stared silently, not wishing to believe what they had just seen. "Zadavia..." Ace whispered, holding on to Lexi as she sobbed softly.

At that point, Duck re-entered the room, followed by Rev. "Okay, Ace, I finally got King Birdbrain to open up Wormhole Central, and..." Duck then looked around and noticed the somber mood of his teammates. "Um, did we miss something?"

Ace turned to look at Duck with a pained expression. "Yeah," he said quietly, tears in his eyes. "We're too late. Zadavia's dead."

Duck and Rev looked at each other in disbelief. "Oh, no..." the roadrunner said slowly. The heroes bowed their heads and shed quiet tears.

After a minute of silence Ace took a deep breath and issued a grim command. "Tech, I want you to make a copy of the video capture from Zadavia's ship, and then get ready to leave."

The coyote lifted his head. "Leave? Where to, Chief?"

The look on Ace's face left no doubt that this mission was now personal. "Where else? You and I've got a date on Freleng...with Optimatus."


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4: "The sorrow of now."

The Loonatics stood by as Ace and Tech approached the Loonacruiser, ready to make the painful trip to Zadavia's home planet. Ace turned to address the team. "Okay, guys, since this is a high priority mission, standard procedure. Lexi's got command 'til we get back from Freleng."

"When will that be, Ace?" the blonde bunny asked him.

"I don't know, Lex," he sighed. "Needless to say, we ain't lookin' forward to this. I don't wanna have to be the one to break this to Optimatus."

"I don't blame ya, pal," Duck said almost quietly, he and Rev having just emerged from the central command hub after watching the video of the attack on Zadavia. "I still can't believe it happened. How did Deuce escape, anyway?"

"That's what we're going to try and find out," Tech replied. "C'mon, Chief, time to go. If Deuce is planning to make good on his threat, we need to get to Freleng and fast."

"Right," the rabbit leader said. "And Tech, keep trying to establish communications with Freleng." Ace paused for a moment, just long enough to look back at his team with grim determination. He stalked aboard their custom-made jet. "And if we find Deuce along the way, well… it'll be just too bad for _him_." And with that, the rabbit and coyote boarded the Loonacruiser and gave a signal to Slam. The Tasmanian Devil nodded, and pushed a remote control button which activated the wormhole for planet Freleng.

The black jet fired up on the launching pad, while a countdown display ticked off precious seconds from 10 to 1. At the count of 0, the jet took off through the wormhole, on a trip neither of its occupants wished to make.

ooooo

Normally a quiet place this time of night, Freleng's palace suddenly became a hotbed of activity. Lady Kassondra emerged from the gleaming white healing room and was almost bowled over by two dozen Frelengian guards, who surrounded a helmeted man in a technician's uniform. They rapidly marched him towards the interrogation room. The young Healer noticed Captain Marsallas bringing up the rear.

"Marsallas," she said, getting the black-haired captain's attention. "Is that your prisoner?"

Marsallas stopped where he was while the guards continued on. "Yes, Lady Kassondra. How is your patient?"

"Fortunately, his injuries were minor compared to what they could have been. He should be ready to join you in the interrogation room momentarily."

"Good," the Captain nodded. "Preferably, with clothes on. I hope you weren't embarrassed by..."

Kassondra smiled slightly. "I'm a healer, Captain. In my line of work I have seen Frelengians wearing far less than their underclothes before. I'm afraid that the luxury of modesty is one that is not afforded to me. It would prove detrimental to a patient's recovery if I had to turn away every time I did an examination."

The Captain smiled as well. "Yes, I can see how that _would_ be inconvenient. Well, I'd better be going. I don't want to keep Optimatus waiting."

"_That_ is not a bad idea, Captain," said an impatient voice behind him.

Marsallas turned around quickly. "Um, Optimatus, I... "

"No time for that, Captain. Kassondra, when the technician is ready, please bring him in."

"It shall be done, Optimatus," she replied, and returned to the healing room.

"Good. Come along, Marsallas. Your prisoner and I have much to talk about." The Frelengian king and his blue dragon cruiser captain strode quickly through the marble and granite halls toward the interrogation room.

"Your majesty," Marsallas remarked, keeping pace with Optimatus, "before the prisoner was captured, he said something about taking the queen's powers and putting them in the guitar. Is such a thing even possible?"

Optimatus stared straight ahead, not even bothering to look at Marsallas. "Unfortunately, if your prisoner is who I think it is, the answer is yes."

"Um, do you know the prisoner, your majesty?"

"When you mentioned he was after the Cosmic Guitar, it occurred to me that our paths had crossed before," Optimatus replied flatly, his voice betraying no emotion. "Were you on Freleng when we had our recent troubles with the Martians?"

"No sir, I was away on training exercises in the Schlesinger Nebula. I didn't learn about it until after our troops returned home and the threat was vanquished. I understand that Guardian Tech was involved somehow."

"Yes, he was acting under secret orders from Zadavia, and he proved himself remarkably." As the pair reached the doors of the interrogation room, a sudden thought came to Optimatus. Activating his wrist communicator, he said, "Kassondra, when you bring the technician in, please awaken my sister. I know she will want to be present for this."

"As you wish, Optimatus. Kassondra out."

Optimatus nodded to the two guards stationed outside the room. They slowly opened the doors, and the Frelengian king and Captain Marsallas entered the granite grey chambers. They made their way down the circular steps to the center of the room where the pseudo-technician was seated, flanked by a dozen guards on each side.

Optimatus studied the lanky prisoner for a moment, and then approached him casually. "Yes, Marsallas, there could only be one other who knew about the guitar besides Deuce… and be foolish enough to attempt to reclaim it," he growled, quickly removing the prisoner's helmet. "Apparently, some people don't know when to quit, _do_ _they_, Rupes Oberon?"

The moody musician gave a worried smile. "Heh-heh-heh...hi there, tall, dark and gruesome..."

Marsallas glared at Rupes. "You will show a little respect for the king."

Rupes shrugged. "But I _did_, man, I have _very_ little respect for the king... "

"That much is obvious," Optimatus growled, as he bent down until he and Oberon were face-to-face. "And apparently, even less regard for your own life... "

ooooo

The black Loonacruiser emerged from the wormhole just above Freleng. Ace turned to Tech as the coyote was fiddling with the communication control. "Any luck, Tech?"

The genius stared at his leader. "Acmetropolis wasn't built in a day, Chief, I'm still... " Then, a slight pinging sound emerged from the console. "Eureka! Success, Chief, I've established communications with Freleng!" Tech beamed at this small accomplishment.

"Try not to be so happy about it, Tech," Ace muttered. "This ain't good news we're deliverin'."

The self-satisfied grin left Tech's face almost immediately. "Oh, yeah... sorry about that, Chief."

ooooo

Countless light years away… on another planet… in another galaxy…

The tall man in the trench coat and fedora turned towards a slightly smaller man wearing the uniform of his country's police force. "Louie, I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship," he said as they walked off in the distance on a rain-soaked runway, with the words "The End" and a small shield with the letters "W-B" superimposed over the scene. The couple on the couch snuggled in each others' arms as the old black-and-white movie came to an end.

"I never get tired of this movie," the male sighed as he picked up a remote control and turned off the TV.

"Obviously," the beautiful blonde he held replied warmly. "Why else would you have married a girl named Ilsa Lund?"

"Um, no reason," he said, planting a gentle kiss on her lips. He reluctantly got off their couch and replaced the "Casablanca" disc in its case. He paused, then turned to the young woman. "You really have to go tomorrow?"

"You know I do, Michael," she replied with a soft Swedish accent. "I'm a photojournalist. I go where my editors send me. It's what I do. It's my job."

"I know," he sighed again. "I'm just not too crazy about these interplanetary assignments you've been getting lately. Why can't you cover a story closer to home?"

"What kind of story would you suggest?" She came closer to him and ran her hands playfully through his dark brown hair.

"Oh, I don't know, Ilsa, how 'bout an undercover story about the sex life of the last happily married couple on this planet?"

"Now you know I don't do fiction," she calmly replied with a straight face. Then they both started laughing. This was a game that they never tired of playing. "You don't need to worry, darling. Harry and George will be with me and the ship is reliable." She then paused. "Do you really have to go on your assignment, too?"

"Yep," he said. "There've been too many reports coming in about this cryo plant lately for the head office not to pay attention to." He sensed her nervousness, and held her close, kissing her forehead. "Don't worry, I'll be careful. And then, when our jobs are done, we can finally go on that honeymoon I promised you."

"I hope Paris will still be there when we return, Michael."

"So do I, Ilsa. If not, we'll go slumming in Hawaii. Here's looking at you, kid," he sighed, as he stared longingly into her eyes. For a brief moment, time stood absolutely still . . .

Michael shut his hazel eyes tight, and reopened them a few seconds later, unwillingly returning to the present. The gold-framed picture he was holding gave no reply. He sighed again, placing the picture of Ilsa back on the mantle above the fireplace. Once again, the overwhelming sense of the sorrow of now overtook his memories of the beautiful young woman from his past who had been so important to him.

It made no sense to him. Why was he still alive, and why wasn't she? So many years ahead, so many plans... all of them gone in a single moment, with no idea as to the whys and wherefores. All he knew for certain was he was alone. And he was tired of it. Tired of the loneliness. Tired of the not knowing. Tired of it all.

Tired of living.

He looked to his left and found his journal still on top of the coffee table. He picked it up and opened it to the page with the last entry he'd made, which he'd bookmarked with a pen. Beneath it, he took the pen and started writing. "New day 145," he wrote, "enough is enough. And I've had enough. Whoever finds this can have it all. That's all, folks."

Without a sound, he closed the journal and entered the bedroom, opened a wooden chest at the foot of his bed, and reached to the bottom until he found what he was looking for. After all this time, he wondered if it still functioned. He stepped outside through the backdoor with the object in his right hand and made his way to a small tree stump. He placed a medium sized rock on top of the stump, walked back a few feet, raised and pointed the object at it... and fired. The beam from the laser blaster quietly destroyed the rock, leaving no trace of its existence.

"Still works," he muttered to himself. That was all he needed to know. Slowly, he raised the barrel of the blaster to his right temple, looked up at the night sky, and wished now for the pain of existing without his lost love to finally end...

Or for something totally unexpected to happen to make him stop...

ooooo

The video camera in Zadavia's ship exploded near her face; the flying shards just missing her eyes. The suddenness of the explosion, however, flung her hard against the back of her command chair. She thought she heard something snap and felt a sharp pain in her left forearm, but had no time to do anything about it other than scream in agony. As Zadavia's ship spun wildly out of control, she vainly attempted to gain some sort of footing, but to no avail. With the autogyro stabilization system now destroyed by Deuce's laser blast and her powers gone, she continued to be battered about the ship in all directions.

Bloodied and bruised, her forehead slammed violently against the control panel, rendering her unconscious and opening another nasty cut, while at the same time inadvertently reactivating the wormhole generator. As her ship changed course once more and picked up speed she slid to the floor of her wayward cruiser, blood matting her golden hair and coating her emerald green eyes. The pain that racked Zadavia's body gave way to a chilling numbness, the brightness of the flame-engulfed ship giving way to the darkness of the finality of certain death. She subconsciously prayed for the end to come quickly...

Or for an unlikely miracle...

ooooo

(**AUTHOR'S NOTE:** For reference regarding the story of the HOP Force, I point you to furrball's excellent "Acmetropolis" series; and as far as Freleng's "recent troubles with the Martians," go no further than Yunno's brilliant "Silent Conspiracy," both of which can be found on this site.)


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5: "The rescue."

Michael stared unemotionally into the evening sky as he prepared to count down the seconds until his own self-inflicted demise, the barrel of the laser pistol still pressed firmly against his right temple, his finger preparing to squeeze the trigger. He vaguely wondered if anyone would ever find his body, as isolated as his dwelling was. He shrugged internally... not that it mattered. Calmly, he began counting. "10... 9... 8... 7... 6... 5... 4... 3... " He suddenly stopped as a wormhole opened up in the distance. "What in the world... ?" He stared as what appeared to be an out-of-control spaceship came blasting through the wormhole, entering the atmosphere and picking up speed as it came. Within a second, Michael came to a startling realization: the ship was headed directly at him.

"Holy crap!" he yelled, as he turned and ran for the house, the ship neatly shearing the tops off the trees in his backyard in a downward diagonal cut. The gleaming white ship gained momentum, bearing down on Michael as with a final burst of speed, he dove through the open back door and rolled underneath the kitchen table. It was at that moment he realized that at the direction and rate of speed the wayward craft was traveling, it was about to make impact with the house, so diving inside was not the smartest thing he could have done.

He closed his eyes tightly and braced himself for certain death. True, he wanted to end it all, just not this way. And then, the ship crashed. The impact was deafening. And then, Michael realized something strange was occurring. He slowly opened his eyes and looked around him. Except for some dishes that had fallen out of a cupboard due to the impact, everything else was intact. Not even a broken window. The house hadn't exploded, and he was still alive. What the hell had happened?

Cautiously, he made his way to the back door, and saw the nose of the ship embedded in the ground two feet from the base of the door, the ship raised upwards at an angle of 45 degrees before it suddenly came down to rest with a bang. With laser pistol still in hand, he approached the ship. Looking inside the windows he saw sparks, smoke and flames engulfing the interior... and then, what appeared to be a red claw reaching blindly over the ship's dashboard.

"All right, if this is an alien invasion, I'm gonna make it a quick one," Michael muttered to himself, as he took direct aim... and then dropped the pistol in astonishment. Slowly, the head of the pilot appeared, and Michael couldn't believe what he was seeing: golden hair matted with red, eyes closed tight, blood streaming down her face, struggling to get her bearings.

"Holy mother of somebody, it's a woman!" he exclaimed, getting closer to the ship. At that moment, her eyes suddenly opened and met his astonished gaze. Breathing heavily, she seemed to be saying something, but he couldn't make it out. He noticed that her right hand was desperately trying to activate an oval-shaped blue button on the dash. Then, she lost consciousness again, her bloodied face resting on the dashboard before slipping out of sight amidst the smoke and flames.

Suddenly, all thoughts of suicide were gone as Michael looked for a way to gain entrance. Alien or not, this woman was in trouble. He had to get her out, but how? Then he noticed that a side entrance was opened, probably by the impact of the ship. He ran inside, avoiding the flames until he reached the woman, her right hand still near the blue button. He couldn't make out the language on the control panels, but the button she was reaching for had a graphic representation of what appeared to be fire. "I hope this is what I think it is," he half-whispered. Taking a chance, he took her hand in his and pressed the button. Instantly, a cool blue mist appeared, and within seconds the flames were extinguished, the smoke being withdrawn through an internal vacuum system.

Carefully, he knelt down beside the woman, who briefly regained consciousness. She opened her eyes once more, and looked at her rescuer. "Help me, please... " she gasped in pain before lapsing back into unconsciousness.

He looked her over quickly as one by one the internal lights started going out. He noticed her left forearm appeared disjointed. Carefully feeling along its length, he frowned and muttered, "Great. Broken."

Not knowing what else to do, he wrapped the woman in her cloak, picked her up and gently carried her out of the ship and into his house. "This is gonna be a long night," he thought to himself...

ooooo

On Freleng, the interrogation of Rupes Oberon continued. It had gone on far too long for Optimatus' liking, but Oberon's refusal to give straight answers was making the session intolerable. "We're going to try this one last time," the Frelengian king said menacingly to the prisoner, "and then I'm going to forget the rules of conduct. Now, how did you breach our security? What were you doing with the Cosmic Guitar? Why were you in Zadavia's ship?"

But Rupes remained defiant, even though he knew he was in big trouble. "Heh-heh. That's for me to know and you to find out, _your majesty_," smirking as he said it.

"Oh, I intend to," the Frelengian ruler muttered, trying vainly to hold in his notorious temper; but finally Optimatus could stand it no longer, his patience at an end. He yelled in anger and raised his hands, blasting Rupes against the far wall of the interrogation room with his photon-based powers. As the prisoner made contact and fell to the floor, a large remote control fell out of one of his pockets, while the cache of power chips spilled out from another.

"Well," Optimatus said, approaching Rupes menacingly, "what have we here? Where did you get these chips?"

"They were prizes in a popcorn snack?" Oberon quipped nervously as Captain Marsallas picked up the remote control and looked it over with great curiosity.

"Now, what do you suppose _this_ does?" he asked as Lady Kassondra entered the room with the technician Oberon had assaulted, who was now dressed in a bathrobe.

Immediately the technician pointed to the prone figure of the moody musician. "That's him, your majesty! That's the one who attacked me!"

"Go on," Optimatus responded. "What happened exactly?"

"He appeared out of nowhere, Sire. He was reading the checklist of problems with the queen's ship over my shoulder and asked me about the gyro stabilizer. I turned around, and then he zapped me with a laser pistol. I don't remember anything beyond that until I came to in one of the storage lockers."

"Interesting," Optimatus replied. "Kassondra, thank you for bringing him here, but you forgot something."

The auburn-haired woman appeared puzzled. "What could I have possibly… oh yes, of course! Zadavia! I shall return with her momentarily." With that, the young healer left the interrogation room.

Rupes chuckled under his breath, "That's what _you_ think…"

The technician approached the king. "May I leave now, your majesty? I wish to go home. It's been a rough night."

Optimatus nodded understandingly. "Yes, of course. I'm certain the security videos from the docking bay will corroborate your story." His thoughts were interrupted as the voice and image of Ace Bunny suddenly appeared on a giant screen.

"Guardians to planet Freleng... urgent... "

"Ace," Optimatus responded. "We were not expecting a call from the Guardians."

"We weren't expecting to _make_ one, either," Tech replied with a forlorn look. "But, something's happened. I'm afraid we've got some bad news concerning... "

At that moment, Lady Kassondra came running back into the room. "Optimatus! Zadavia's gone!"

"What?" he asked, surprise on his face.

"I went to her room to awaken her, and she's gone! She isn't anywhere to be found!" The young healer wrung her hands with worry, which was uncharacteristic for her.

"But where could she go at _this_ time of night?" Marsallas asked. Then all three turned and looked coldly at Rupes. "Wait! He was on his way into Zadavia's ship when I first encountered him!"

"Where was her cruiser, Marsallas?"

"Docking bay 13, your majesty."

Ace tried to get another sentence in. "Optimatus, about Zadavia's ship... "

"In a moment, Ace! Docking bay 13, this is Optimatus. Close down the launch pad, and put a guard around Zadavia's cruiser at once! Have her report to the interrogation room immediately. She is _not_ to leave the palace under _any_ circumstances!"

"Um... your majesty... " came the nervous reply from the bay.

"Yes?"

"The Queen left in her ship twenty minutes ago."

"What?" Optimatus yelled.

Kassondra intervened. "Docking bay, play security video, please." All eyes turned to another giant screen in the interrogation room, as the video showed Zadavia running towards her ship, ignoring the helmeted technician standing just three feet away. "Where could she be going in such a hurry?" asked Kassondra as the video replayed the queen's ship leaving Freleng through a wormhole.

"My guess is to her doom," Rupes Oberon chuckled. "You ain't _ever_ gonna see Blondie again, heh-heh-heh."

"That's what we've been tryin' to tell you, Optimatus," Ace said grimly. "You guys better be sittin' down. I'm afraid we got some bad news about Zadavia... "

ooooo

Michael set to work as the unconscious woman lay on the kitchen table, which he had moved closer to the sink. Disposable cloths and clean water in stainless steel bowls were now at the ready, along with a plastic dispenser and materials for making a cast. Slowly, he began the meticulous process of cleaning her face, gently wiping the blood away, then rinsing the blood from her hair. Then he uncapped the dispenser, turning a dial at the bottom. A blue gelatin-like stick rose from the top, and he applied it carefully to her wounds. Almost instantly the gel liquefied, then disappeared as it began closing the cuts and gashes on her face. Michael's training was coming in handy. He hadn't forgotten how to do this. Time was when he'd often relied on these skills.

It was a lengthy process, and although there were facilities in town that could do this, he didn't dare call them in. An alien being, especially a severely injured one, would raise too many questions, as well as bring in people he would just as soon not know about this. And questions were something he didn't need. He still had too many unanswered ones of his own. He glanced through the still open back door at her damaged ship, and thought that isolation had its drawbacks, but also sometimes its perks. Being where he was in this remote area with no neighbors, and no visitors as such, no one would be dropping by and noticing the alien vessel. That was something else he'd learned in his career: the fewer people that knew about something, the better. And at this point, nobody needed to know she was here.

Michael paused momentarily while preparing to set her broken left forearm arm into a cast. He studied her face. Without all those cuts and bruises, he thought, she must be really beautiful. He shook his head, and leaned down closer to her. "Miss," he said softly, "I know you can't hear me right now, but I have a whole lot of questions I need to ask...and only you can give me the answers." He gently stroked her hair and lightly ran his fingers along the right side of her face. "Who are you... where did you come from...why is it that you picked here of all places to land?" He paused, then continued as he looked at her wounded face, "And most important...who the hell _did_ this to you?" He sighed. "Will I ever really know?"

He stood up, preparing to work on her damaged arm, when he noticed a small red spot on the left leg of the pink uniform she wore. The spot was getting larger. Then another one appeared. And another. And the more that appeared, the larger they became. Suddenly, Michael realized what was happening.

"Oh my god, she's bleeding to death!" He'd been so focused on fixing the wounds on her face that he hadn't taken the rest of her into consideration. He unfastened the clasp of the cloak she wore, and felt frantically around the neck of the uniform. "Where the hell is the _zipper_ on this thing?" he yelled in frustration. The red spots were getting larger. Finally in sheer desperation he reached his hands into the cleavage of her uniform. Taking a deep breath, he muttered, "I'm really sorry, Miss, and I'll buy you some new clothes if you live... " as he began tearing her uniform apart...

ooooo

In the strategic command center on Freleng two of the palace's elite guards stood outside the twin doors of the interrogation room, while inside Ace and Tech stood by as Optimatus, Marsallas and Kassondra sat at a marble table watching in horror the video capture from Zadavia's ship, while Rupes Oberon remained seated and bound, guards still flanking him on either side. Ace and Tech remained silent. Finally the video ended with the rainbow explosion, Zadavia's agonized scream, and Deuce's mocking laughter. The screen went black and the two Guardians studied the faces of the three at the table, trying to gauge their reactions. The black haired Captain shook his head, disbelief on his face. The young auburn haired woman's lips were trembling, the lightest traces of tears reflected on her cheeks, but otherwise she showed no emotion and made no sound. Optimatus' building rage, however, was a different story. Finally he exploded. "DEUCE! You are a DEAD MAN!" He then turned on Ace and Tech. "WHY didn't you help her?"

"We couldn't," Tech began before the king interrupted him by grabbing him by the collar of his uniform and lifting him up until they were face to face.

"You are supposed to be her heroes and you couldn't save her! I do _not_ want to hear _excuses_!" Optimatus yelled before flinging the coyote against a far wall. Tech winced, said a perfunctory "Ow," then slid to the floor.

"Look, Optimatus," Ace said calmly but firmly, trying not to let his own rage come to the surface; but as he spoke even his customary calm demeanor failed him. "Wormhole Central was closed down, we couldn't leave the planet at all, transmission to Freleng was jammed so we couldn't get a message to you, and things were happening way too fast even for us! You heard the conversations on the video! There was literally nothing we could do!" He began breathing heavily, his own anger beginning to overtake him. "We had to stay on planet Blanc and watch someone we all loved _die_, and there wasn't a damned thing we could _do_ about it!"

Optimatus waited for a moment, then summoned the communications room. "I want a record of all transmissions to and from Freleng in the last hour..._at once_!"

Within seconds, a female voice responded over the intercom system. "Your majesty, all communications have been jammed for the last fifty minutes. The transmission from The Guardians' ship ten minutes ago is the first one we received."

By this time, Tech had gotten his bearings back and addressed the unseen female. "Communications, this is Guardian Tech. Could there have been any sort of atmospheric conditions or other anomalies blocking communications to and from the planet during that time?"

The female replied, "None, sir."

"Thank you," the coyote replied.

"What are you thinkin', Tech?" Ace asked, his calm manner having returned.

"I'm thinking maybe communications were jammed inside the palace, Chief. You heard Deuce say an agent of his sabotaged Zadavia's ship, maybe he sabotaged communications here, too, just to keep help from getting to her."

"Impossible," Captain Marsallas offered. "Security would have spotted such a thing."

"Not to call you a liar or anything, Captain, but your security wasn't much good against Rupes," the coyote replied, casting an angry look and growling at the lanky musician. "Hey, wait a minute, Chief. Deuce said his agent took Zadavia's powers while she slept."

"Yeah, he did," Ace agreed. He got closer to the prisoner. "How 'bout it, Keyboard Man?"

The moody musician simply sneered. "You can't prove anything, he didn't mention me by name. And after the way I got treated on Blanc, I don't want nothin' to do with that loser..." Rupes' protests were suddenly interrupted by a new voice in the room, emanating from his wrist communicator.

"This is Deuce to Oberon, congratulations. Your sabotage of Zadavia's ship was perfect. Without the protection of the Loonatics, and your taking of her powers, it was easy to destroy her. But I'm still waiting for you at the rendezvous point to give you your reward. I still have to destroy her brother and the Loonatics, and I'm not going to wait forever. Repeat, Deuce to Oberon, come in!"

"Heh-heh, sorry, the number you have reached has been disconnected or is no longer in service, please hang up and try this number again," Rupes remarked nervously.

"Oberon, what's going on?" Deuce demanded.

Quickly, Ace snatched the communicator off the musician's wrist. "_We're_ goin' on, Deuce, that's what!"

The renegade Frelengian General replied in surprise. "What? _Ace?_ Where are you?"

"On Freleng," the rabbit replied angrily, "and we know all about your plans. And the second we find you, we're gonna make you _pay_ for what you did to Zadavia!"

"And you _will_ pay_, traitor!_" Optimatus added, taking the communicator from Ace. "You know what the penalty is for the murder of a royal on Freleng...and if _they_ don't make you pay, then I _will!_"

"But you have to _find_ me first, Optimatus!" Deuce replied, chuckling. "As for Rupes, deal with him yourself..._ in the time you have left._" And with that, the wrist communicator started giving off a series of beeps that grew louder and faster.

Suddenly Ace realized what was about to happen, and quickly grabbed the communicator from Optimatus' hand and flung it hard. "Hit the deck!" he yelled, as a massive explosion blew the doors off the interrogation room…

ooooo

The long hours dragged on through the evening, but finally Michael satisfied himself that the unconscious alien female was now out of danger, at least as far as bleeding to death was concerned. She lay nude on his bed as he finished applying the blue gel to the last of her wounds, cursing at himself for not paying closer attention to her injuries; then double checked the fresh cast on her left forearm, which he had elevated in a makeshift sling by the left side of the bed. Since the gel was most effective when exposed to air, he decided to leave her uncovered for the rest of the night. He sighed in exhaustion, remembering another attractive blonde who had shared his bed some time ago. But now he was tired, and in definite need of sleep.

He began undressing, then stopped and remembered the journal. He went into the living room and retrieved it from the coffee table. Returning to the bedroom he parked himself on the right side of the bed, and opened the journal to the last entry. Taking the pen he'd used as a bookmark, he crossed out the last paragraph.

Michael sighed, ran his right hand through his dark brown hair, looked again at the injured female, her chest slowly rising and falling in time with her shallow breathing, and then began writing. "New day 145, take two, 11:30 pm. Journal, ignore previous entry. You're not going to believe what happened tonight…"


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6: "Chaos and circumstances."

Two elite guards stood sentry at the heavy twin doors of the interrogation room, not expecting anything unusual. The younger guard in front of the left door suddenly turned to his older counterpart on the right. "Sir?"

"What is it, cadet?" he replied, looking straight ahead.

"Did you just hear something?"

"Such as what?"

All of a sudden, a massive explosion blew the doors away, the force of the explosion sending them and the guards flying against the polished marble and granite wall opposite them. The unfortunate guards had no time to react as the doors slammed into them. Immediately alarms rang throughout the palace. A team of emergency workers, trained to deal with such disasters, rushed to the scene at breakneck speed, proceeding to clear away the rubble from the blast as thick black smoke poured out of what had once been the interrogation room.

Almost as immediately, three young women came running through the hallway, each in skintight white uniforms. One of them, with long braided red hair, quickly surveyed the damage and knelt over the older fallen guard. She held her hands over the prone figure, closed her eyes and sang a clear and steady note as a reddish glow surrounded the victim. She kept this up for over a minute as the workers removed the remnants of the doors from atop the other guard.

"This one is dead," one of the crew remarked. The redhead summoned the two other young women, who knelt and held hands with her and sang a steady harmony, the red glow joined by one of gold and another of light brown, matching the braided hair of the other two. Their harmonies intensified as the glow became brighter until finally becoming pure white, then subsided. The harmony died away, and the younger guard lay still for a moment longer, until he began breathing on his own.

The red haired woman pressed a button on a red band she wore around her left wrist, and two floating stretchers zoomed out of the healing room and arrived immediately at the scene. As the emergency crew carefully loaded the two guards on them and guided them away, the trio got up and looked at the damage.

"Has anyone else been injured?" the blonde asked one of the workers.

"We aren't sure, Celestia," he replied. "Optimatus was questioning a prisoner in the room along with two of the Guardians…"

"Who else was in there?" the redhead named Harmonia asked.

"Two dozen guards, Captain Marsallas Marius, and an observer…Lady Kassondra."

That was all Harmonia needed to hear. "Melodiya! Celestia! Quickly!" The trio rushed into the remains of the room, but the smoke made it difficult to see. The brown-haired young woman, Melodiya, felt along what remained of the door frames until she found a large button, which activated a smoke removal system. The smoke disappeared through vents in the ceiling, and the trio stared in disbelief at the damage before them.

"I fear nobody could have lived through this, sisters," Celestia said sadly. At that moment, a rainbow-colored glow could be seen underneath a massive pile of rubble.

"Get back!" Harmonia commanded, and her sisters did, as the rubble began vibrating before revealing a transparent rainbow bubble, and Optimatus using all the powers at his disposal to scatter the destruction away. The bubble dissipated, and the prone figure of Ace Bunny slowly raised himself up on one arm and looked around him.

"Ohh... that's the last time I don't take my own advice," he groaned as he tried to get his bearings. "Oh _man_, that was close!"

"Too close, Ace," Optimatus agreed. "You're unharmed?"

The bunny shook his head slightly. "A little shaken up, but otherwise, yeah, I'm okay. That was quick thinkin' there, Optimatus."

"Save the compliments for later," the Frelengian king replied as they surveyed the damage around them. Furniture had been destroyed; shards of the granite and marble walls lay everywhere, and the giant view screens had fallen from their mountings or lay in pieces on the floor. Looking to his far left, Optimatus saw the prone figure of Captain Marsallas as he lay bleeding. Optimatus wasn't the only one who saw this, as the three young women in white rushed to the fallen captain's side, held hands and again began their three-part harmony.

Ace sat spellbound as once more a tri-colored bubble surrounded the sisters, with Marsallas in the middle. "Who are _they_?" he asked.

"I will introduce them later," Optimatus said. "Right now, they have work to do." In due time the bubble glowed white and then vanished, the singing stopped, and the young women helped the Captain up to a sitting position. Optimatus and Ace approached him.

"How are you feeling, Captain?" Optimatus asked as the brown-haired girl tended to his wounds.

Marsallas looked up with a pained expression. "Apart from a headache the size of the Schlesinger nebula and an annoying ringing in my ears…I feel lousy, your majesty."

"That feeling will pass," the king replied, then turned to the young redhead. "You and your sisters have done well, Harmonia."

"Thank you, your majesty, but we were only doing what we were trained for," she replied softly. "We were told that Lady Kassondra was here. Where is she?"

A scream from the young blonde got their attention. She pointed to a pile of debris, under which could be seen a white boot and part of a woman's leg, in a pool of blood.

"Kassondra!" yelled Optimatus, and quickly shot two photon beams from his hands, lifting and clearing debris until the figure underneath could be seen. There lay the healer, her white uniform stained in crimson, her right side impaled by a large shard from the marble walls. She was bleeding from the corners of her mouth, and her hazel eyes stared upwards at nothing. In less than a second Optimatus was by her, reaching for the shard.

"No!" Harmonia commanded. "Stay back, your majesty! You may cause hemorrhaging of the wound. Sisters!" Melodiya and Celestia joined her as she ripped apart Kassondra's uniform around the shard. Then they once more held hands and concentrated, singing until the multi-colored bubble surrounding them glowed white. Suddenly multi-colored beams shot from the sisters' eyes and focused on the shard, which began vibrating under the harmonics of the young trio until, to Ace and Optimatus' amazement, it vanished completely. The trio then focused their beams upon the wound itself, which slowly closed in front of Ace's startled eyes. Then the surrounding bubble's brilliance filled the room with a pure white light so intense that Ace and Optimatus had to shield their eyes. When the singing stopped and the light faded away, the sisters drew back, revealing Lady Kassondra, gasping for air as she tried to sit up, groaning in pain and clutching her side. Optimatus was by her in a second with a speed that belied his size, and he held her in an embrace until Harmonia took over.

"Please, your majesty! We must get her to the healing room at once," the young redhead told her king in a tone that indicated she meant business. Immediately, with the press of a button on her red wristband, another floating stretcher found its way into the remains of the interrogation room.

As Ace and the sisters gently loaded her on, Kassondra slowly opened her eyes and looked around at the massive destruction. She held her right hand over her side and a blue-tinged rainbow bathed her wound. "Unbelievable," was all she could say as she lay on the stretcher.

"You got _that_ right, Lady K," Ace agreed. "She gonna be okay?"

"We will find out if we can get her to the healing room with no more delays," Harmonia snapped.

"Harmonia, please," Kassondra said softly. "It seems that I am in the unusual position of finding myself as a patient."

"That's right, Lady Kassondra," Celestia noted with a smile. "Now you have to take orders from _us_ for a change!"

The chief healer smiled back. "Don't be impertinent, Celestia," she said, gently admonishing the youngest sister.

The young blonde bowed her head. "Yes, ma'am," she said contritely.

Kassondra then addressed Ace. "What became of the others, Ace? What of Guardian Tech?"

Ace looked around the room until he spied a pile of ashes near the entrance. "He's over there," he said calmly.

The young healers gasped. "Oh, dear," Melodiya said. "I fear he is beyond even _our_ help."

"Just watch," Ace said quietly.

To the sisters' amazement, the pile of ashes glowed green, and within seconds the shaky form of Tech E. Coyote appeared, wobbled a bit, and then shook his head. "Man, this trouble is more power than it's worth," he finally muttered.

"What?" the trio asked in unison.

"I mean, this worth is more power than it's... er, this power is more trouble than it's... " Tech then looked wearily at Ace. "Chief, when we get back home, I'd like to request a long vacation."

The bunny considered the genius coyote's request, weighing the choices alternately on each hand. "Hm, vacation? Lemme see...yes, no, yes, no...no."

Tech looked forlornly at the young women. "I _never_ win that argument."

"This is not a time for levity," Optimatus remarked impatiently. "Take Kassondra to the healing room." The sisters flanked the floating stretcher, and proceeded to guide it up the circular stairs.

"What happened to the Keyboard Man?" Tech asked, looking around the room. His question was answered when two large viewing screens rose under the sudden movement of two dozen stunned Frelengian guards who had regained consciousness. In the middle of that group sat a trembling Rupes Oberon, his skin now as white as his hair.

"Oh, man," the rattled musician said, "I was _wearin' _that thing!"

"See what you get for hangin' around with losers?" Ace muttered.

"Now, Oberon, shall we try this interrogation again?" Optimatus was glaring at him.

All of a sudden, Rupes appeared quite cooperative. "Yeah, sure... I'll sing like a canary if you want!"

"If your singin' is anything like your music, I'll pass," Ace quipped to his own amusement. Meanwhile, Tech noticed that Captain Marsallas was looking over the large silver remote control that had fallen from Oberon's pocket.

"What's that, Captain?" the coyote asked.

"I have no idea," Marsallas replied, absent-mindedly fingering the large blue button in the center. Suddenly, the viewing screens in the room all came to life with the visage of Ace Bunny.

"Ace to Zadavia…Ace to Zadavia…this is urgent!...Ace to Zadavia…Ace to Zadavia…this is urgent!..."

Ace stared at his own image, fascinated. "What in the world?" Meanwhile, the video Ace kept repeating his call to Zadavia.

"It seems to be stuck," Tech noted.

"No, man, it's waiting for an answer," Oberon muttered.

Lady Kassondra paused at the entrance way, broke away from the three sisters, steered her floating stretcher back down the stairs to the group, and looked at the viewscreens. "Yes, Ace?" she said through gritted teeth, her pain intensifying.

"We just got confirmation of Deuce's whereabouts," the video Ace replied, repeating the same message that had lured Zadavia out of the palace and to her fateful meeting with Deuce.

At that precise moment, the female communications officer's voice came over the loudspeakers again. "Communications to Optimatus..."

"Optimatus here."

"Sire, our communications are jammed again."

The Frelengian king frowned. "When did this happen?"

"Approximately 40 seconds ago, your majesty," the unseen female replied.

"40 seconds ago, eh?" Ace said, turning to Tech. "Ain't that when we started hearin' from the fake me?"

"I think you're right, Chief," the coyote agreed, taking the remote control from Marsallas. "And I'm guessing this has something to do with it. Hey, Keyboard Man, how do you shut this off?"

"Just push the red button, man," Oberon shrugged. Tech did so, and the viewscreens went dark.

"Communications are back online, your majesty, sorry for the disturbance. Must have been a technical glitch," the communications officer apologized.

"Fascinating. And I think I know the cause," Tech replied.

"So do I," Optimatus growled as he advanced towards the moody musician. "Well, Oberon, care to show us how it's done?"

"I'd do it if I was you," Ace remarked as an aside. "If you don't, you'll only make him angry. You wouldn't like him when he's angry."

Oberon quipped, "I don't like him _now_," which infuriated Optimatus even more.

Ace cocked an eyebrow. "Make that, 'angrier'."

Rupes gulped nervously. "Do I have a choice, man?"

The bunny smiled, and his eyes narrowed as he considered Oberon's options alternately on each hand. "Hmm... yes, no, yes, no... _no_."

"I'm guessing this is set up in the communications center, right, Oberon?" Tech questioned, which Rupes acknowledged.

"Yeah, follow me..." However, he was stopped by Marsallas and the two dozen guards who quickly surrounded him.

"No," the Captain suggested, glaring at the Keyboard Man. "You accompany _us_, we insist." Oberon sighed, and his shoulders slumped in resignation as the guards led him out of the room, followed by the icy stares of the Guardians and Optimatus.

ooooo

Michael woke up from an exhausted sleep, yawned and stretched, shaking his head to clear the cobwebs. Then he looked to his left and saw a blonde female lying next to him, nude with cuts and bruises all over, her left arm elevated in a bedside sling.

"What the… where did _she_ come from?" he groggily asked himself in bewilderment. Then he remembered the events of last night: the attempted suicide… the wormhole… the spaceship… the crash… and her. He leaned over and gently shook her right shoulder. "Miss? Miss? Are you awake?" But she gave no response. He felt her neck for a pulse. Finding none, he felt her right wrist. Still nothing. "Hmm," he thought, "her being an alien, maybe I'm just not finding it." Cautiously he placed his hand over her left breast to see if there was a heartbeat, and repeated the move over her right breast to see if that turned out to be where her heart was located. Again, he felt nothing. Then he got an idea, and took a small pocket mirror from his nightstand and held it under her nose. Two small circles of condensation appeared, vanished, reappeared, and vanished.

Michael sighed and ran his hands through his dark brown hair. "Well, at least she's breathing," he said to himself. "But _now_ what do I do with her?" He got up, and stumbled to the bathroom. He still wasn't wide awake, and a nice hot shower was what he needed to revive him.

As the water hit him, he began thinking about last night, and his own situation. He thought about the circumstances that led up to his trying to end his own life, and how it was spared at the last second by an alien woman in a flaming spacecraft. And once more, he found himself thinking about Ilsa. A vivacious young lady, full of life and curiosity, and compassion for others. He remembered how they'd met, quite by accident during one of his assignments. No, not by accident, he corrected himself. The fact was, he'd been assigned to follow her, as the head office had wondered why an independent photojournalist would be taking pictures at a restricted area. It happened that that was the area he'd been assigned to. As it turned out, she didn't need watching. She needed protection.

Ilsa had stumbled onto something important, and the ones behind it had determined that she'd never leave the facility alive. That was when Michael, for the first time in his life, put his whole career on the line for a beautiful girl. He alerted his team of operatives and created a successful diversion that not only saved Ilsa, but – along with the evidence he'd gathered and her condemning pictures – made sure the bad guys didn't get away with murder, as he later put it in his classified report.

When it was all over and as his team was securing the area, one of the operatives couldn't help noticing Michael held a terrified Ilsa in a gentle embrace, kissing her softly. "Looks like fun, Mike," he said.

Michael shot him an annoyed glance. "Go pick a number and wait your turn, I saw her first!" Then he went back to kissing her.

Finally, Ilsa broke off the kiss. "Who…who _are_ you?" she asked in between sobs.

He smiled. "Michael C. Fleming, boy scout at large, do-gooder without portfolio, and for the past eighteen years, rescuer of damsels in distress, at your service." That caused her to laugh, so he decided to push his luck just a little. "And if you're a real good girl, I'll even tell you what the 'C' stands for."

She laughed even harder. That was good, he thought. After her near-death experience, she needed to laugh. "You're silly, but I like it. Tell me, Michael C. Fleming, how many damsels in distress have you rescued?" Her smile was appealing, and her soft Swedish accent was delightful.

"Truthfully? You're my first…and I hope, my _last_," he replied, taking a handkerchief from his pocket and gently wiping her tears away.

"Thank you, Mr. Fleming." She paused. "My name is..."

"Ilsa Lund," Michael said. "23, born in Stockholm, Sweden, moved here as a child, independent photojournalist, loves coffee, old movies, single…"

Her astonished gaze combined with a shocked voice. "You've been spying on me!"

"Well, yes and no…" he replied, and explained carefully how it was their paths had inadvertently crossed. "So, to put it in its simplest terms," he concluded, "you just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time, is all. We're gonna have to go be debriefed by my superiors, Miss Lund, and then you'll be free to go."

"Oh," she said with a bit of disappointment. "Well, if I don't get the chance later, thank you for saving my life, Mr. Fleming."

"It was my pleasure, and please, call me Michael." He held her face in his hands and kissed her again for several minutes. "Ilsa," he finally said as their lips parted, "you like old movies… have you ever seen 'Casablanca'?"

The lovely blonde shook her head. "No, is it any good?"

"One of the best," he smiled. "Tell you what, once we get out of the debriefing, if you've got no other plans, I'll cook up some popcorn and introduce you to the best movie ever made."

She regarded him with a sly smile. "I didn't know we were going to watch 'Citizen Kane,'" she said softly.

"All right, stop that," he replied. Then they both started laughing as their transport arrived.

"What's so funny, Mike?" the driver asked.

"You wouldn't believe me if I told you," he said as he helped Ilsa aboard. "Let's get out of here…"

Michael turned off the shower and again returned reluctantly to the present. Ilsa… alive at 23, married at 24… dead at 26. Life just wasn't fair, he thought to himself. He toweled off and looked at himself in the mirror. His was an average face, he thought. Michael didn't consider himself particularly handsome. He wasn't ugly, either; but it was that average appearance that enabled him to blend in with others and hardly be noticed, which accounted - at least partially - for his successes in the past: get in, get the info, and get out without being noticed in time for his operatives to do their part of the job. And it had always worked, except for the last time. He looked back at his now tired expression, and thought the circles that had begun forming under his hazel eyes made him look older than he was, if that was possible. He also wondered if he should shave off that perpetual five o'clock shadow he'd been sporting as of late. He finally decided against it, as he had no more assignments. No more reasons to blend in.

He returned to the bedroom and picked out some clean clothes: a blue shirt, casual grey slacks, black jacket. That would be his uniform of the day. As he dressed, he looked again at the prone, still unconscious alien woman on his bed. He knelt down, gently stroked her face, and held her right hand in his. "Miss, whoever you are…" he whispered, "please... _don't die_." He leaned closer and prepared to kiss her, but stopped at the last second. 'No,' he thought, 'it wouldn't be fair to either of us. Especially to her.'

Michael stood back and studied her intently. The multi-shaded blond hair, her peaches-and-cream complexion, the way her face was shaped, the way her chin almost came to a point, all combined gave her an unusually exotic look. Her figure was also appealing, with her narrow waist offsetting her perfectly formed torso. In another time, he thought, hers might have been called an hourglass figure. "The sand's certainly shifted in all the right places," he thought out loud; then shook his head. "No, I can't be thinking like this. Anyway," he sighed, "I have work to do." And with that, he headed out to the backyard.

He looked over the pearl white spaceship that was just inches away from the back door. Wherever it was from, it was definitely not a design from this planet; of that much, he was certain. He then spent several minutes observing the many dents in the craft's body, as well as scorch marks that could only have come from powerful lasers. It was amazing that she was able to get here at all, he thought. Then he climbed in through the still opened side entrance. In the daylight the damage to the interior of her ship was even more pronounced: scorched by flames, portions melted or blackened, and large patches of dried blood from where she'd been injured. There was no doubt in Michael's mind. Whoever had done this to her clearly wanted her dead.

He looked over the control panel on the dashboard. Nothing to indicate what anything did; at least, nothing in English. Glyphs and symbols and strange markings that he couldn't make out, and didn't recognize, were all he could see. And more dried blood. Michael shook his head and sighed once more. There had to be _something_ here to indicate who she was and where she came from.

He headed to the back of the ship and saw a door partially opened by the crash. He pushed it open the rest of the way. There was a bed built into a wall, the mattress on the floor along with bedding and the contents of a small nightstand. He placed the mattress back into position and began randomly putting items back into the nightstand when his eyes caught sight of some small framed pictures. One, a handsome couple in strange attire, another picture of a male with white and purple hair, and still another picture showing a young woman with dark blue hair, soft brown eyes and a winsome smile. It was the only one with an inscription: "Love, your little sister, 'Paula'."

Two things struck Michael about the pictures. One, the inscription from Paula was in English. And two, viewed as a group, he reached the conclusion that he was looking at the alien's family. 'Well, I guess there's _somebody _who's wondering what happened to her,' he thought. He searched the rest of the ship, but found no other clues to his visitor's identity. He sighed, and left the ship. After all, he still had work to do...

ooooo

An obviously worried Optimatus entered the healing room, with Ace and Tech close behind. They were met by Harmonia. "How is she, Harmonia?" asked the Frelengian king.

"She will recover, your majesty. She was lucky the shard missed vital organs. We gave her a transfusion and some herbal sedatives. You may see her now if you wish."

Optimatus and the two Guardians followed the young redhead to a private chamber where Lady Kassondra sat on a bed in a brief white halter top and shorts, while Celestia was finishing wrapping her middle with bandages, and Melodiya was checking her vital signs. "Lady Kassondra," Harmonia said softly, "you have visitors."

"So I see. I will be with you in a moment," she said, acknowledging their presence. "Melodiya?"

"Vital signs normal, my lady," the light brown-haired girl smiled. "You will make a full recovery."

"Thank the stars," Kassondra replied.

"Are your bandages too tight, Lady Kassondra?" the young blonde asked with concern.

"No, Celestia. You have done well, all of you." Casually, she dressed in a loose-fitting white blouse and skirt as though the males weren't even there. "What of the others?"

"The two guards at the door had the most severe injuries apart from you," Harmonia said softly. "The younger one died, but fortunately my sisters and I were able to revive him." She turned to address Optimatus. "He will recover, too, your majesty, but it will be some time before he can return to active duty."

The king nodded solemnly. "Understood. Guardians, you asked to be introduced. This is Harmonia, her younger sister Melodiya, and their youngest sister, Celestia. This is Guardian Ace, and Guardian Tech." The three young ladies bowed in the presence of the famed protectors of the universe.

"It is an honor to meet you," Harmonia said, speaking for her sisters.

"Likewise," Ace replied. "So, where'd you girls come from?"

The light brown-haired girl, Melodiya, spoke. "We come from a village far away from the capital city. We have always enjoyed singing, but recently we discovered that our musical ability had healing powers."

"I know, I saw that," Ace smiled.

Celestia spoke up. "Our parents and the village elders decided that this gift should be enhanced, so they sent us here to the palace to study under Lady Kassondra."

"And they are quick learners," Kassondra noted. "They remind me sometimes of my early days here in the healing room, when I was first learning my craft."

"We would not have progressed without your tutelage, Lady Kassondra, or the encouragement of Queen Zadavia," Harmonia replied. "By the way, where_ is _she?"

The two Guardians exchanged worried looks with Kassondra and Optimatus. The king sensed their unease and addressed the young women. "A terrible tragedy has befallen Freleng," Optimatus said quietly, his head bowed. "My beloved sister…is dead."

The young sisters were crestfallen. "No," Melodiya gasped softly, "this...this cannot be."

"I wish we could say otherwise," Tech replied. "Unfortunately, we saw it happen."

"How? How did she die?" Harmonia asked after a stunned silence.

"She was attacked by Deuce," Ace said with a hint of anger.

The sisters stared at each other, then at Ace. "Deuce? But, we heard that you had banished him to a black hole," Harmonia remarked.

"We thought so, too," the bunny replied. "We thought wrong."

The young sisters were shaken by this news. "Excuse us, please," Harmonia said softly, and summoned her sisters to one side. After a minute they rejoined the others. "This is indeed a terrible tragedy, your majesty," Harmonia said sorrowfully. "For Freleng, and the universe. Our condolences can barely convey our sorrow."

Optimatus nodded. "I know how close all of you were to my sister. If you wish, I can arrange transport to your village so that the three of you may spend time with your families."

"Thank you, but no," Melodiya answered. "We will adjourn to the meditation room and mourn for Zadavia there, and reflect on her life. And then after that, the best thing we can do is to carry on with our duties. Your sister would not wish for anyone to shed tears for her. Besides, Lady Kassondra needs to recover, and we cannot leave the healing room unattended for long." She turned to Ace. "Please, find Deuce. Make him pay for this crime."

"Don't worry," the Guardian leader assured her. "We will."

"Come, sisters," Harmonia said softly, and she and Melodiya began to leave the healing room. The young blonde, however, remained where she was, trembling with tears flowing from her blue eyes and running down her face. Harmonia saw this and viewed it with concern. "Celestia?"

Suddenly, Celestia couldn't contain herself any more. She ran up to Optimatus and wrapped her arms around him, crying uncontrollably. If circumstances had been any different, this personal contact with the king, even from a student healer, would have been seen as a major breach of palace protocol. Instead, Optimatus nodded understandingly and embraced the inconsolable young woman.

Ace and Tech marveled silently; this was a side of Optimatus neither had suspected even existed. The Frelengian ruler allowed her to get her sorrow out of her system, softly patting her shoulders as she cried. Finally he prodded her face upwards until he was looking into her eyes. "Fear not, young one," he said quietly. "She will be avenged. I swear it by the moons of Freleng. My sister _will_ be avenged."

"Thank you, your majesty," Celestia said in a soft, broken voice. "Please...kill Deuce."

"Justice will be done," Optimatus affirmed. "You have my word. But now, you must go with your sisters." The blonde girl nodded and left the healing room with the other two student healers.

Kassondra looked after them and sighed sadly. "Poor Celestia. When she arrived here, she suffered from a terrible lack of confidence in her own abilities. She had never been outside of her village before, and I'm afraid being in the palace tended to overwhelm her. Zadavia noticed this immediately, and made sure she took the time to make her feel part of this environment."

"Zadavia was her mentor, then," Tech guessed.

"Yes, exactly. Being 16 years young, Celestia needed the guidance of someone older then her sisters. Zadavia was happy to fill that role until such a time as the young one could find her own way." The healer paused briefly before continuing. "Now, with Zadavia gone, I pray that her sisters will take over that responsibility."

"Speakin' of sisters, Optimatus," Ace said, "who's gonna tell Paula?"

The Frelengian king looked momentarily stunned. "Mellisandra," he finally said quietly.

At that moment Captain Marsallas entered the room. "Your majesty, forgive the intrusion, there is a video communiqué for you in the communications center."

"I do not wish to receive any messages at this time," Optimatus remarked coldly.

"But, Sire," the Captain replied, "...it's from General Deuce."

Optimatus and the two Guardians looked at each other only for a moment. "We will be there immediately," the king growled. "Care to come along, Guardians?"

"Doc, we wouldn't miss this for the universe," Ace replied seriously as he and Tech followed him to the communications center.

Lady Kassondra stared after them, then summoned a floating wheelchair with a remote control. "Nothing good can come of this," she whispered as she sat down and followed them down the palace halls.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7: "Familial duties."

Optimatus followed Captain Marsallas purposefully into the main communications center, located deep within the palace on Freleng. Ace and Tech were close behind, followed by Lady Kassondra in her floating wheelchair. As they entered, Tech took a good look at his surroundings. Any other time, he would have been impressed with the incredible Frelengian technology around him, which was in stark contrast to the ancient architecture of the palace in general. But this was not a time for awe. By now, word of Zadavia's demise had spread throughout the palace, and he sensed the tension within the room was so thick that it could be cut with a Guardian Strike Sword.

"What's the plan, Optimatus?" Ace asked.

"Keep Deuce talking long enough to pinpoint his location, and then take him out with our long-range satellite weaponry," the king of Freleng replied. "If that fails, our Dragon cruisers will be at the ready to destroy him at my command."

"Sounds like a plan to me," the bunny agreed. Optimatus nodded to the female communications officer who, with the push of a red button, opened the closed proximity channel, allowing two-way visual conversation between the king and his former General.

Immediately, the visage of the red headed renegade appeared on a large viewing screen. "Optimatus," Deuce said with a self-satisfied smirk, "I see you survived my little surprise. Which, I'm happy to note, is more than I can say for your dear, departed sister."

"Get to the point, Deuce," the Frelengian king said impatiently.

"In due time, Optimatus," Deuce sneered. "I see the Loonatics survived as well. Long time, no see, rabbit..."

"That's 'Bunny,' if you don't mind," Ace replied. "Or even if you do."

"What do you want, Deuce, as if we didn't already know?" Tech asked.

"What, no mourning for Zadavia?" he taunted, causing Tech to growl angrily.

"We did that before we came here," the coyote seethed.

"I see. What happened to Oberon, by the way? Did he appreciate my little 'reward'?"

"Nobody appreciates _anything_ you do, Deuce," Kassondra addressed him coldly. "And for good reason."

Deuce appeared slightly taken aback by the young healer's presence. "Kassondra Veritas, this _is_ a surprise. What are you doing in that chair?"

She glared at him with hate in her eyes. "I was caught in the explosion, as if you cared."

"I don't, actually," the ex-General said casually, dismissing the young woman's obvious discomfort. "Now, to get down to business, Optimatus. You know that I can easily destroy you like I did Zadavia."

"You and what robot army?" Ace challenged.

Deuce just shrugged in response. "True, rabbit, I am without them at the moment. But I can create another. That's not the point."

"Then what _is?_" Optimatus was getting angrier by the second.

Deuce laughed derisively. "Patience never was one of your virtues, was it, your majesty?" Then his tone turned threatening. "I'm calling on you to surrender Freleng to me at once!"

"And if I don't?"

"Then you will be destroyed, and Freleng will be no more. It's as simple as that. It's way past time for the rule of the Maxima dynasty to end, anyway. Of course," the renegade Frelengian laughed, "one remaining Maxima doesn't make for much of a dynasty, does it?"

Optimatus stared hard at his former General. "My sister was right about you. I should have listened."

"But you didn't, and now she has paid the price; since you weren't able to destroy her, I had to. Oh, Optimatus, it was such a joy watching Zadavia die. You should have seen it."

"I did. It's what's going to lead to _your_ death." The Frelengian monarch made the pretense of brushing a few strands of purple and white hair from over his right eye, which gave him the chance to surreptitiously see if his technicians had succeeded in locating Deuce's whereabouts. A discreet signal from the chief communications officer told him the satellite defenses that Zadavia had set up months before had pinpointed Deuce's location. At the same time, a fleet of Dragon cruisers received the same information, and were already traveling in cloaking mode at faster than light speed to take him out in case the satellites failed. All they were waiting for now was their king's command.

"_That_, I'm afraid, is a long time away," Deuce gloated.

"_That_, I'm afraid, is where you're _dead wrong_," Optimatus replied with a wicked smile. "NOW!" he shouted, as powerful beams from the satellites and the cruisers began blasting at Deuce's train; but surprisingly, they had no effect other than to shake the train up a little.

"Something tells me this ain't working, Doc," Ace muttered.

Deuce yawned and replied mockingly, "Really? What was your first indication, rabbit?"

"Dragon cruisers, attack!" Optimatus yelled. The ships hit Deuce's train with everything they had, but nothing appeared to be happening as a result.

"He must have activated some sort of force field," Marsallas observed.

"Correct," the ex-General smiled. "You didn't really think for one moment I'd leave myself unprotected, did you?"

"Actually, Doc, we were kinda _countin'_ on it," Ace growled.

Deuce grinned and adopted a nonchalant air. "You know, Optimatus, I really am getting tired of this. If this is the best you can do, I'm afraid I'll have to leave. I have a planet named Acmetropolis to destroy. But don't worry, I'll be back for Freleng's final destruction...and the Guardian Strike Sword. Later, Losertics!" With that, he activated a wormhole and the train sped through it, leaving several frustrated Dragon cruisers in his wake as the hole disappeared.

Lady Kassondra breathed heavily, her face red with anger. "That smug, supercilious murdering _bastard!_" she spat contemptuously. She then activated her floating wheelchair and fled the room.

A visibly angry Optimatus stared at the video screen, now filled with a blanket of stars. "Marsallas, when the Dragon cruisers return, have their captains waiting for me," he said in a tone that sent a definite chill through the room.

The Captain gulped and nodded, and left the room as well. For moments nobody said a word. Nobody dared to. Everybody in the communications room was stunned by what must have seemed a colossal failure.

Finally Tech broke the silence. "You know, Chief, we do have _something_ in our favor. Deuce thinks the Loonatics are still based on Acmetropolis. He doesn't know we've moved to Planet Blanc and become the Guardians."

Ace nodded thoughtfully. "Yeah. He also thinks we're all here and that Acmetropolis is unprotected. We better get word to the HOP Force a.s.a.p."

"Right," the coyote agreed, turning to the communications officer. "Can you establish communications to Acmetropolis?"

"Of course," she said. "Location?"

"The Acmetropolis Tower, 125th floor, HOP Force headquarters." Tech watched as the young woman's fingers flew across the keyboard, then punched in the encrypted code that would make contact with the Loonatics' one-time adversaries who, thanks to Zadavia, had become the planet's protectors when the Loonatics moved to the center of the universe.

While they waited for contact to be made, Ace said softly, "You know, somebody's still gonna have to break the news to Paula about what happened." It was a shared secret between the Loonatics and HOP Force that Paula Hayes, alias Weather Vane, was in actuality Zadavia and Optimatus' long-lost younger sister, Mellisandra Maxima, the "Lost Princess of Freleng."

"I'll tell her, Chief," Tech replied. "After all, she looks up to me as her mentor, and..."

Optimatus raised a hand to silence him. "No, Tech, this falls under the heading of familial duties. I will tell Mellisandra of her sister's passing..."

The communications officer interrupted him at that point. "Communication link established to Acmetropolis. Go ahead, your majesty."

"Thank you," Optimatus replied. "Emergency communiqué for the HOP Force from Optimatus. Repeat..."

Within seconds, the face of Mallory Casey appeared on the video screen, her original features having been surgically restored by Tech following a near-death bout with encephalitis some time ago. She wore her jet black hair in a long ponytail draped over her right shoulder, and sported a new pair of round-framed glasses. It was hard to believe, looking at her now, that this was once the same "Mastermind" that had been one of Tech's fiercest enemies; a fact not lost on the Frelengian king as he addressed her.

"Mastermind," Optimatus noted. "I still cannot help but feel that you look..._different_...somehow."

Mallory smiled briefly. "Thank you, Optimatus. I'll take that as a compliment, but I'm guessing this isn't a social call."

"You got _that_ right, Mal," Ace agreed in a serious tone. "There's somethin' big happening and it ain't good."

"Put the planet on red alert at once, Mallory," Tech advised her. "Where's the rest of the Force?"

Mallory quickly activated the red alert control which acted as a safeguard against any outside attacks on the planet, while a simultaneous signal went out to Acmetropolis' military. Flashing red lights now illuminated the Force's headquarters while Mallory continued her long distance conversation. "They're out getting supplies. Why, what's up, Tech?"

"Acmetropolis is about to have an unwelcome visitor. Check the database for a General Deuce."

"Miss Casey, is Mellisandra with them?"

"Paula? No, Optimatus, she's taken the day off. We've had some pretty bad experiences lately and it's kinda shaken her up a bit. Vel thought it'd be good for her to take a break."

"Where is she now?" Ace asked.

"Spending the day in Acmetropolis City Park with her number one fan...why?"

"'Cause we got some bad news about Zadavia."

"Zadavia? How bad, Ace?"

"As bad as it can get, Mallory," sighed the Guardian leader.

"Oh, come on, Ace, for it to be _that_ bad, she'd have to...be..." Mallory's eyes grew wide behind her glasses as she saw the trio on Freleng bow their heads somberly. Immediately the full seriousness of their reaction hit her. "No...not _Zadavia_..." she gasped in disbelief.

"I'm afraid so, Miss Casey," Optimatus replied. "My sister...has been murdered."

Mallory's look of disbelief turned to shock at that word. "Murdered? How? Why? By who?"

Tech looked at her grimly. "General Deuce, that's who. As for the how and why, we're sending you the video capture from her ship. You should be receiving it shortly."

"I gotta warn ya, Mal, it ain't pleasant," Ace added.

Mallory looked at a secondary viewer which was now displaying the attack on Zadavia. "Yes, I'm getting it now..." She then fell silent as Deuce's savage attack on the queen played out in front of her, from unsuspecting beginning to horrific end. The diminutive former villainess turned pale as she tried to take this in while attempting to maintain her composure. "Oh my god...oh my god...this is gonna kill Paula..."

"Let's hope not, Miss Casey," the Frelengian king said seriously. "She'll be needed."

"Get the word to the Force, Mallory," Tech added.

"Yeah, will do. I'd better notify Paula..."

"Thank you, Miss Casey," Optimatus replied, "but I will take care of that myself."

"Yeah, you just let the Force know there may be trouble. Guardians out." No sooner did Ace sign off than the remaining members of the HOP Force - Gordon "Massive" Paine, Velvet Williams (the former Black Velvet) and the Syphers - Drake and his older brother "Duke" - entered the headquarters, arms full of supplies which they promptly set down.

Velvet was the first to notice the flashing lights that indicated something was wrong. "Mallory? What's going on?"

"We're on red alert, Vel. Massive, check the data file for someone called General Deuce. And get ready for a possible attack on Acmetropolis."

Duke noticed Mallory's unease and pale complexion. "There's something else, isn't there, Mal?"

"Yeah, there is...guys," she said softly, "you'd better all sit down. I have some bad news from Freleng about Zadavia."

"How bad, Mallory?" Duke asked.

"To use Ace's words, Don, as bad as it can get."

Drake laughed her remark off. "Oh, come on, brain babe, you know Ace has a flair for the dramatic. For something to be _that_ bad, Zadavia'd have to be..." It was then that he saw her close her eyes, her lips trembling and tears rolling down her face. "_No_..." he finally gasped, "not the 'boss chick'..."

Mallory nodded her head sadly and replayed the video from Freleng for a stunned HOP Force. They watched with disbelief the attack on the former villains' unexpected benefactor. For minutes after the video ended, none of them said a word.

"Oh, dear God, no..." Velvet finally sobbed, as Duke embraced the HOP Force's leader to comfort her.

"We'd better tell Paula," Massive noted quietly.

"Optimatus is taking care of that, Gordon," said Mallory, brushing her tears away. She took a deep breath and turned serious, as was befitting her unofficial position as second-in-command of the Force. "But Drake, you'd better find her just in case."

"Acmetropolis City Park, right, Mal?"

"Right, copyboy. Get on it. Use the Zoomatrix."

Immediately Drake Sypher took the elevator to the parking garage inside the giant orb atop the Acmetropolis Tower. Once there he pushed a button on the wall that opened the triangular exit door on top of the orb, and took off on his gold-and-red Zoomatrix in search of his teammate. He felt uneasy as he flew through the sky, knowing how Paula would react to news of her sister's demise. But he also remembered Zadavia's training of the team, which she had conducted in separate sessions from the Loonatics. Personal feelings would have to be put aside for the moment, and emotions would have to be put in check. Duty was calling.

Back on Freleng, Ace and Tech were busy conferring with Freleng's monarch. "Eh, Optimatus," Ace noted, "you're still kinda _persona non grata_ on Acmetropolis, you know."

"I am aware of that, Ace. But I don't have to be there physically to talk to Mellisandra."

"Guardian Tech," the communications officer interrupted, handing him a small portable video device, "this was discovered by our guards. It was wired up to our optimal console. Captain Marsallas said it was to be turned over to you."

"Thank you," the coyote replied. "I'm going to take this to the Loonacruiser and run some tests, Chief. I'll be back soon." And with that, he left.

Ace turned to Optimatus. "I think it'd be better if you talk to Paula alone."

The king nodded in agreement. "Yes, that would be wise. Wait in the conference room for me. One of our guards will escort you." The bunny left Optimatus alone in the communications room. He turned to the young lady behind the console. "Establish a link to Acmetropolis City Park...at once..."

ooooo

Michael finished off a cup of coffee and bowl of cold cereal, then grabbed a couple of bottles of protein drinks from the fridge and returned to the bedroom, his mind set on the task ahead. Twelve hours had passed since the spaceship had crashed in his backyard, and it was time for a second treatment. He stared once more at the unconscious nude alien blonde on the left side of his bed, and wondered how she could have survived like she did. No doubt an indomitable will to live, he told himself as he uncapped the blue gel container and applied it again to the wounds on her body. The last thing he wanted was for them to become infected, as he was certain she had no natural defenses against the bacteria of this planet. And for all his expertise, Michael had no knowledge of how to treat her if that happened. If the wounds became infected, then all his efforts would be for nothing. Alien physiology was outside of his realm of experience; but then, the crash of an alien ship in his backyard was something he wasn't prepared for, either.

He briefly ran his fingers over her skin. It felt silky smooth to the touch. He shook his head, then reapplied the gel to her remaining wounds with the detached professionalism of a doctor. As he applied the gel to her face, he stopped and briefly stroked her hair. It was even smoother than her skin. Michael paused and once more considered his options, which still weren't many. Contacting the authorities was out of the question, as was taking her to the local medical facility. Externally she looked like a human female, but internally, who knew? Knowing the planet's recent stance against extraterrestrials, he wasn't going to risk her safety - her life - by bringing her to anybody's attention. No, he told himself finally, if she was going to recover, it would have to be here.

And if she was going to survive, she'd need nourishment. He uncapped one of the bottles and gently elevating her head, pried her mouth open, carefully pouring the thick protein drink inside; but a reflex gagging action made this difficult. He wiped the drink from her face with a handkerchief and tried again, raising her head a little higher. Finally, after several attempts he eventually found a position that worked, and succeeded in getting the liquid down her throat.

He sighed, looking with concern at the blonde female. He knelt close to her, gently running his fingers over her face again. And he thought once more about Ilsa. "I couldn't save her, ultimately," he whispered, knowing she couldn't hear him, "but maybe...just _maybe_...I can save you. But you have to help me, Miss. Please, whoever you are...wherever you came from...I said it before, and I'll keep saying it until you hear me. I'm begging you...please..._don't die_."

And with that, Michael finally gave in to the urge to kiss her on her right cheek.

"Sorry, Miss," he said, shaking his head. "I don't know why I did that." He stood up, berating himself for taking that kind of liberty with her, even though it was nothing more than an innocent kiss. He always thought he had more self-control than that. The _last_ thing he needed, Michael told himself, was to start to get emotionally involved with her.

Even though that was precisely what was happening.

ooooo

Tech was on his way to the conference room, the portable video device and remote control in his paws, when he passed Captain Marsallas in the hallway. The Captain bore a definite worried look, which didn't go unnoticed by the anthromorph hero. "What's the problem, Captain?"

"Optimatus was not pleased at all with our fleet's inability to destroy Deuce," Marsallas replied, shaking his head. "And he let them know it in no uncertain terms. Failure is something he doesn't accept."

"I don't think they should be blamed," the genius coyote remarked. "The satellites weren't much more effective."

"I know," said the black-haired Captain. "Our combined forces should have destroyed him easily."

"Yes, one would think so. It does make me wonder, though, Captain," Tech mused, "...where did he get that train?"

The question made Marsallas Marius stop and think. "Now that you mention it..." He suddenly turned to go. "I have an idea. I may have an answer for you soon." The Captain then hurried off for who knows where, as Tech stared after him. It was at that same moment that Optimatus stormed through the hallway.

Tech took a chance at risking the king's anger. "Were you able to talk to Paula?"

Optimatus looked harshly at him. "No," he grumbled. "There was a sudden cosmic storm causing interference with communications. Our meteorologists say it will be another twenty-five minutes before we can try again." The Frelengian monarch then continued making his way angrily down the hall on his way to the conference room without another word.

"He is definitely not a happy camper," Tech thought out loud, shaking his head.

"That, Guardian Tech, I can agree with," a soft voice said behind him, momentarily startling him.

"Lady Kassondra," the coyote said, turning around quickly. "I didn't hear you approaching."

"I know," the young healer replied, concern showing on her face. "I fear Optimatus when he is like this. I understand he took his anger out on our Dragon fleet..."

"So Marsallas told me," Tech replied. "So, you're able to walk again?"

"With slight discomfort," Kassondra remarked. "Fortunately, our healers are very good at what they do." She then noticed the objects in Tech's paws. "What is that?"

"A little gimmick from Rupes Oberon. I've been running some tests on it, and it's absolutely..."

"Are you coming or not?" the voice of Optimatus yelled down the hall.

"Yes, your majesty," Tech replied nervously. "Care to come along, m'lady?" he asked, gallantly offering his left arm to Kassondra.

She smiled and took the coyote by the arm. "I might as well...medical attention may be called for before this is through."

"Yeah," the genius Guardian replied. "That's what I'm afraid of..."

As the pair made their way to the conference room, Kassondra looked questioningly at Tech. "Guardian Tech, what is a 'happy camper'?"

The coyote smiled slightly. "You saw Optimatus just now, right?"

"Yes," the healer replied.

"The opposite of that," Tech said, as they entered the room.

ooooo

The sleek silver train hurtled through one wormhole after another through the darkness of space. At the controls, Deuce smiled as he contemplated Acmetropolis' impending destruction, and the stolen train he was going to do it with. "How nice of Freleng to leave this new model completely unguarded," he chuckled.

As much as he despised his home planet, he still admired their technology. This train had everything he could want: shielding devices, force fields, laser weapons, faster than light speed, and the ability to change course from one wormhole to another within a matter of milliseconds, thus being able to evade capture, and attack victims by surprise without detection. Victims like Zadavia.

As he emerged from one more wormhole, a small blue-green tilted city-planet appeared in the distance. Deuce's grin became a malevolent smile, and an evil glint shone in his green eyes. "Next stop, the doomed world of Acmetropolis," he laughed as he sped towards his destination.

ooooo

In the conference room in the Frelengian palace, Tech, Kassondra and Ace sat at a granite table while Optimatus paced angrily, still fuming at his Dragon fleet's failure to eliminate Deuce. "How could this have happened?" the Frelengian king finally yelled, slamming his fists on the table.

"Apparently, quite easily," Ace muttered, while Tech continued looking over the portable video unit that contained the fake "reports" from the computer-generated Loonatics. "What'd you find out about that thing?"

"Incredible, Chief. I've never seen anything like this. Apparently the animation is launched by the remote control that Rupes had on him. The responses are voice activated, keyed to recognize a particular phrase or keyword and respond accordingly."

"And while it was connected to our optimal communications center, no messages could get into or out of Freleng while it was activated," Lady Kassondra noted thoughtfully.

"That explains why transmission to Freleng was jammed," said Ace.

"Exactly!" Tech exclaimed. "I'd _almost_ say it was a work of genius, except for the purpose it was used for."

"Then _don't_," Optimatus responded coldly. "I can't believe Deuce came up with this."

"I don't think he did, Optimatus," the black uniformed coyote replied. "He can build robot armies, sure, but he lacks the technical know-how that someone who can create a mannequin rock band has, and make them so convincing that you'd actually believe they were living beings. Not to mention coming up with all that stuff he used back on Acmetropolis to imprison Zadavia and take her powers."

Ace nodded. "In other words, Rupes Oberon."

"Exactly, Chief. Separately, those two are trouble. Put them together, well..." The black-and-green clad coyote shrugged to emphasize his point.

Ace heaved a sigh of frustration. "We know, Tech. The thing that galls me the most is those phony baloney 'reports' that thing contained were right."

"Yes," Optimatus agreed in a serious tone, "they were meant to throw us off and let our guard down while Deuce was waiting for the right time to strike and destroy my sister. An ingenious deception that turned out to be correct. What better way to disguise a lie than to wrap it in the truth?"

"And you'd _know_ somethin' about that, right, your majesty?" Ace remarked offhandedly.

The Frelengian king turned and glared at the Loonatics' leader. "If that was intended as sarcasm, Ace, it was neither welcome nor appreciated."

"Like that meteor you flung at Acmetropolis back in '72 when you were tryin' to kill Zadavia yourself?"

"Chief," Tech cautioned, exchanging worried looks with Kassondra, "that's not a good idea right now..."

"I have already made my apologies to your planet for my foolishness! I don't need to be reminded of it, especially by _you_!" Optimatus growled.

"Tell that to the folks that lost their lives back then because of your 'foolishness,' your majesty," Ace growled back.

"Chief, ix-nay on the omments-cay..." Tech replied nervously.

The Frelengian ruler's anger was beginning to increase. "I would listen to your fellow Guardian, Ace. Hold your tongue unless you wish to find yourself no longer living..."

Ace got up quickly from his seat, knocking his chair over in the process and stared face-to-face at Zadavia's brother. "You know, Optimatus, I been holdin' my tongue for some time. I've been courteous to you only for Zadavia's sake. But since she ain't here anymore, I don't _have_ to hold back on what I think of you!"

With that, an enraged Optimatus drew his sword. "That is _enough!_ Guardian or not, Ace, prepare to defend yourself!"

"My pleasure," the rabbit growled as he unsheathed his Guardian Strike Sword and prepared to face off against Optimatus. The two glared at each other, swords at the ready.

"ALL RIGHT, STOP IT!" The screamed command took the would-be combatants by surprise, considering that it came from the normally gentle Lady Kassondra. Her body was trembling as tears of rage drenched her face. "Stop this at once! Don't you understand Zadavia is _dead?_ What will this foolishness of yours accomplish? Will it bring her back? _No!_" She then sank to her knees and cried out loud. There was little that Ace and Optimatus could do except exchange stunned looks, which continued as the pretty auburn-haired healer got up and ran from the room, in spite of her injuries.

Tech started to run after her, but stopped only long enough to stare disapprovingly at Ace and Optimatus. "I'll come back as soon as you two decide to _grow up_," he said pointedly, then left the room.

Without saying another word, the two sheathed their swords and hung their heads in shame. Finally, after several uncomfortable minutes Optimatus spoke. "I believe, Ace, that your fellow Guardian has a point."

"He usually does," Ace agreed, as they left the room in search of Tech and Kassondra.

ooooo

Night fell, and once more Michael prepared for a fitful evening's sleep. It didn't used to be that way. Up until recently he'd been able to fall asleep at the drop of a hat; but in the last few months, sleep came harder and harder for him. And when he'd finally awaken the next day, it always felt like he'd slept on a bed of rocks. But back before then, he still had Ilsa.

He sighed and picked up his journal from the nightstand by his side of the bed, and made another entry, saying it aloud as he wrote.

"New day 146, 10 p.m. No change in my visitor's condition. Still unconscious, barely breathing. She may be in a coma, I don't know. Infection of wounds is a possibility, although I see no indication of it. Searched her ship again...no signs of identification. Still no idea as to who she is or where she came from. I was finally able to get some protein drinks inside of her. Don't know if they'll do any good, or even if her body will reject them, but at this point, I'm willing to try anything to keep her going."

He stopped writing, and slipped beneath the covers, positioning himself a good foot and a half away from the woman on the left side of the bed. Before he turned out the light, he took one more look at the still figure. "Miss," he whispered sadly, "why don't you wake up?" And once more, Michael pushed the button on his nightstand, the lights went out, and he waited for sleep to come, along with some answers which only the alien could provide.

Providing she lived through this at all.

(**AUTHOR'S NOTE:** For details on Mallory's makeover, see furrball's story, "Truce," as well as the rest of his "Acmetropolis" series regarding the HOP Force, and Paula's connection to the Maximas.)


End file.
